


The Pavilion

by ActuallySoftaf



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU:They're in a rock band, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, I love tropes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll, Wayhaught - Freeform, Wynaught Brotp, Wynsita, i should be writing my other fic but adhd hyperfocus led us here, probably some mild smut in the later chapters but nothing crazy, slow burn maybe IDK yet, this isn't your average band fic it's different (insert hair swoop)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:42:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26921566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActuallySoftaf/pseuds/ActuallySoftaf
Summary: The gang is in a rock band! ok, I suck at summaries so read this insteadThe multi-colored stage lights hit the dust in the theater reflecting off, to create a show all on their own.  They cheered and shouted as she made her way off the stage, her hand raised high in the air, devil horns proudly on display.  The ringing in her ears outweighed the beating in her chest, as the adrenaline from their performance dwindled out.  This moment had been years in the making. They weren't even the main act, yet the audience seemed to feed off their energy and they had gained a small following over the past couple months they had been touring.  There was nothing in this world that could compare to the high she had while on stage.  Every day brought a new venue in a different city, but in a crowded theater filled with excited faces she always felt like she was home.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 16
Kudos: 80





	1. A Favor House

**Author's Note:**

> Good new everyone! I have officially finished the first chapter of my newest fic. Now for those of you that follow me from Floatin' just know I have not abandoned that and I will continue to update that as regularly as possible. Unfortunately, I have been hyper fixated on this idea for the past couple weeks and needed to get it written down. I will probably not be updating this regularly or on a set schedule at least until I am finished with the other one first.  
> But please enjoy the first chapter and let me know what you think. It'll help me determine which one will take precedence.
> 
> PS any one that knows me knows that the only other thing I stan more than Wynonna is the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. This story is highly influenced by their music and I will be naming chapters after songs that hold a special place in my heart and also relate in some way to the chapter.  
> Now please enjoy. It should be a wild ride.
> 
> The first chapter is (A Favor House Atlantic) I started a spotify playlist if anyone is interested. It only has 2 songs right now (the title track and chapter track.) I will add more as I add more chapters. Here's the link. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kQKLhNnPL4o1HCG6m2TNZ?si=7GOKDtqSQ7-LD95E9aHo-g
> 
> Oh and as always no beta so my fluck ups are my own.

It felt like a fever dream. Her voice cracked as she screamed the last line of their final song, trying her best to meet the crowds thunderous roars. Thousands of wide eyes, from the people standing at the barrier fence, to the ones in the far back reserved seating met her own. Their screams and shouts rumbled deep in her soul. The multi-colored stage lights hit the dust in the theater reflecting off, to create a show all on their own. They cheered and shouted as she made her way off the stage, her hand raised high in the air, devil horns proudly on display. The ringing in her ears outweighed the beating in her chest, as the adrenaline from their performance dwindled out. This moment had been years in the making. They weren't even the main act, yet the audience seemed to feed off their energy and they had gained a small following over the past couple months they had been touring. There was nothing in this world that could compare to the high she had while on stage. Every day brought a new venue in a different city, but in a crowded theater filled with excited faces she always felt like she was home.

***

2 years later

"No, no, no just stop. Rosita, your pitch still seems off, can you go any higher with it?" Nicole interrupted Rosita for the fifth time today. She usually sang the simpler back up vocals on their tracks, but was struggling with hitting the notes Nicole wanted for this song. They were in the middle of recording their sophomore album and Nicole wanted everything to be perfect. Over the past couple years, since the release of their debut record, the ragtag group had gained what some would call a cult following. Whether it was due to their status as a concept band or their insane progressive musical style no one was really sure. What they were sure of was that the band had something to prove and Nicole was desperate not to fizzle out as a one hit wonder.

"Jesus Fucking Christ, are you serious! No Nicole, I physically can't go any higher with this shit! I am a bassist, not a fucking singer! Will you please for the love of god just hire a fucking back up singer like I've been asking since we started this shit." The dark haired girl ripped her headphones off and stormed out of the recording booth in a huff. "I'm taking a break before I actually lose my shit. When I get back you best be looking into it." Jaw dropped, Nicole nodded, at a loss for words. Rosita was usually very agreeable and sweet, but if you got on her bad side, could open the seven gates of hell on you.

Wynonna was snickering next to her with a stupid "I told you so look" on her face. "You know she's right. She's been telling you for what, like seven, eight years now? Pretty much since we decided to band up and make a serious run at this.” The two had known each other almost their entire lives and decided to start the band for fun at the start of their junior year. With Nicole on guitar and vocals and Wynonna on drums, Black Badge Division was established and named as an homage to the supernatural stories Nicole wrote and based nearly all of her lyrics off of. Wynonna had initially teased her about it, but once she listened more thoroughly and the ginger explained how the music related to her own experiences and life she had swiftly agreed to continue the project. After a few months of writing and playing just the two of them, they realized if this was something they were serious about pursuing they needed to add a few more players to the team. They added in Wynonna’s then boyfriend Doc to man the second guitar and the new transfer student, Rosita followed on bass soon after. They were outcasts and a motley crew, but they made it work and Nicole wouldn’t have changed anything even if she could. That was part of the reason she was so hesitant to add someone else into the mix. What if they threw off the entire vibe of their band? Together they had worked so hard to get where they were. Years of playing near empty gigs and being turned down by recording labels had created a bond she had no intention of straining. Through thick and thin they had persevered and finally after all they’d given and all they’d sacrificed they were gaining the success they had been striving for since the beginning. 

Nicole sighed, despite her prior protests, maybe it was time to stop fighting it. Rosita would never be able to take them where they needed to go with the song and everyone knew it. If Nicole really wanted to create a masterpiece she would have to put aside her reservations and figure something else out. 

“I know, Wy. I’m just worried about bringing someone new on and screwing everything up. Remember all the shit we went through after you and Doc broke up?” Nicole reasoned.

Wynonna scoffed, “The only reason that was the fiasco it was, is cause he decided to sleep with Rosita right after we broke up.” 

Nicole laughed remembering back on that day. “God Earp, I seriously thought you were going to murder both of them with your daddy's shitty old gun. Thank god it was too rusted up to shoot.”

“Hey now, it’s not my fault I had the biggest gay crush on Rosie ever and was too dumb and confused to realize it. She was just so cool and hot as hell when she showed up in that crop top tank and those ripped jeans the first day of school. I knew she was going to destroy me the second I laid eyes on her. I just didn’t know how yet.” A sly smirk made its way to Wynonna’s face as the nostalgia flooded over her. “Good times Haught Sauce, good times indeed.”

Nicole fake gagged, her face twisting up in disgust. “Yeah yeah, I get it you’re all happy and in love and it’s gross so just shut up about it, so we can figure out what we are going to do about the singer situation.” 

“No need to figure anything out Haught. As your best friend of your entire life, I already have everything handled. Let me just call her up and we will be good to go. I was honestly just waiting for you to give me the okay.” Wynonna shot a couple of finger guns at her best friend, pulled her phone from the pocket of her trademark fringe leather jacket and started to make a call.

“Who the heck you calling anyway, Earp? I’m pretty sure everyone you like is in this studio today?” She nudged the brunette's shoulder looking for some answers. Wynonna held up a finger as the person on the other side answered. Nicole couldn’t make out the conversation, but was able to piece some of it together from what Wynonna was saying. 

“Yeah, can you head down today?” Pause. “Well we were really hoping to get it finished by the end of the week.” Pause “Yeah, I know you’re busy.” Pause “Well pay you whatever you want” Nicole kicked her friends leg at that. “Ow… and by that I mean we’ll pay you appropriately for the amount of work you do.” Pause. “Yes of course she’s gonna be here, she is co producing the thing and I mean she does write the music.” Pause “Baby Girl, I promise Haught will be on her best behavior. No need to worry.” And there it was. Nicole cringed hearing the last sentence, her eyes widening comically at Wynonna. She had just invited her baby sister to record on their album. 

It was a well known fact that Waverly Earp hated Nicole Haught. She was 4 years younger than the two band mates, and practically grew up before their eyes. “Great, we’ll see you tomorrow. 10am sharp. Don’t be late, kid. Love ya.” Wynonna hung up the phone with a guilty look at Nicole.

“What the fuck! Did you seriously just invite baby Waves to come record this very adult song with us!” Nicole dropped her head down, running her hands through her long red hair, trying to figure out the situation. Wynonna’s eager smile and nod wasn’t helping Nicole’s anxiety. This is exactly the opposite of what she wanted. “Wy, you know Waves hates my guts. Why the fuck would you do that?” She whined.

Wynonna sighed, she knew this was a likely possibility, but she also knew it was their best shot at getting the record finished on time. “Look Nicole, I know you’re not aware since you haven’t seen her since she was like 14, but Waverly ain’t a kid no more. She’s almost 21 years old and she’ll be graduating college next year. Besides she has an amazing voice and we’d be hard pressed to find anyone better on short notice. So suck it up Buttercup, it’s happening whether you like it or not.”

“Noooo” Nicole groaned, throwing herself to the floor like a toddler having a tantrum. “You know I actually hate you right?”

“Shut up, Haught, you love me more than you have loved any woman in your entire life. Now get up off that dirty ass floor and get your shit. These vocals were the last thing we had left for today and seeing as we can’t get that done now, lets get high as fuck and go to the aquarium to look at the jellyfish. I have some edibles so if we eat them as soon as we get home they should be in full effect by the time we get there.” However odd it was, the activity had become one of their favorite past times and ways to blow off steam. Any other time, Nicole would have jumped right on that train, but it was already after four and by the time they got home and changed the aquarium would for sure be closed. 

“Wy, as much as I would love that, we’ll never make it there in time. Let’s just go to the bar or something. With the new album and everything, it’s been a while if you know what I mean.” Nicole winked at her best friend and laughed when she visibly cringed at the thought. Nicole had been notoriously single throughout the entirety of their adult years, besides the few month stint with Shae, that ended when their first big tour started a couple Years back. Nicole didn't want to be tied down and miss out on any of the road experience by being in a relationship she knew was never going to work in the long run. She had spent her last few years enjoying the perks of single life, living how she wanted without judgment or responsibility to others. It had been a while though. Over the past few weeks everyone was hard at work getting the finishing touches of their new album up to par. The long days and difficult work, left little time for any sort of fraternization and she was starting to miss the simple comforts of a warm body next to her own.

“Yeah fine alright, but I’m still gonna eat that edible. Get up and get your shit. I’ll meet you outside with Rose.” Wynonna threw a light kick at one of Nicole’s downed legs, in an attempt to make her move. She did not. There was a high probability that she was physically stuck to the sticky carpet at this point.

“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I guess I better enjoy my last night of excitement before Waverly the fun sucker comes around.” Wynonna snorted at her friend.

“I’m telling you Nic, she’s really not that bad anymore. I think college taught her to loosen up some. Now get up so we can go. You probably need to shower to get that dirty carpet off your face, before we go out so you can get some dirty carpet on your face.” Nicole scrunched her nose up at Wynonna. She wasn’t wrong about her intentions, but god damn that woman could be crude.

She pulled herself from the sticky studio floor and punched her friend in the arm. “Gross Wy, I mean you’re not wrong, but still.” She laughed. “Now go grab Rosie and we’ll head out. I’m still scared she’s gonna come at me right now, so maybe mention the good news while you’re at it.”

“Fo sho Haught Cheeto. Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

“You ma’am are ridiculous. Now go get your girlfriend and I’ll meet you at my car.” After a few minutes of waiting in her car, Wynonna and Rosita slid into Nicole’s 1969 lime green Plymouth Roadrunner and they drove off to her and Wynonna’s cabin. Hidden in the forest on the outskirts of town, the cabin was the first big purchase Nicole and Wynonna had made following the start of their success. It was a bit too big for just the two of them, but Rosita was over regularly and they planned to convert some of the extra space into a recording studio all their own after they got back from their next tour in the fall. They had big plans for it, but for now at least, it was a place to call home.

***

Their night out had gone off without a hitch and by closing time, Nicole found herself bringing home her favorite bartender Eliza. She was easy going and understood that whatever they had between them was casual at best. She never cared if Nicole came and went or if she didn’t speak to her for months on end. They were friends and occasionally they’d satisfy each other in ways that went a little above and beyond the normal friendship. The four girls shared an uber back to their cabin, going their separate ways once they got into the house. 

Nicole lost track of time, her head buried between the bartenders thighs. Remembering her and Wynonna’s conversation from earlier, she laughed to herself. Well she certainly called that one. She was exhausted and as the night drew into the early morning hours, she felt the heavy pull of sleep call her name. She didn’t bother moving, neither of them did. They were more than satiated and too tired to care.

The sun peeked through the window, some quiet rustling downstairs drifted through the silence, but didn’t quite penetrate Nicole’s groggy mind. She grumbled and pulled Eliza’s legs tighter around her shoulders, not fully awake enough to comprehend the position they were in. Her eyes still closed tightly, she inhaled deeply and nuzzled her face deeper into the base of the other girl’s pelvis. Somewhere along the line, they had thrown all the covers off the bed and were now both laying completely exposed, tangled up in each other.

She heard the bedroom door swing open and aggressively slam against the wall before she had any time to react. "Wynon- Holy shit balls!" 

"Shit! What? What the fuck?!" Nicole shot up faster than she even believed possible, eyes feral and confused, giving the surprise guest a full view of her naked body. Well this was not what she expected. The girl was beautiful, angelic even. Nicole’s breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight before her. 

Frozen in the moment, hazel eyes roamed Nicole's body against her will, until they locked with a pair of fiery brown ones. Nicole straight up snorted at the look on the intruder's face. "You trying to join us, or is there a reason you're still staring? Not that I would mind, that’s for sure." She said, raising an eyebrow, with a shit eating grin plastered to her face. She was never shy about her body, especially not in the presence of a beautiful woman.

The girl turned bright red, mortified by the situation. "Oh my God, shit, sorry!” The brunette shouted, turning and running out of the room, slamming the door behind her. “I thought this was Wynonna's room!" The high pitched voice screeched through the otherside. 

Oh shit, Nicole knew she looked familiar. If this woman was looking for Wynonna, there was only one person this could be. She finally connected the pieces, realizing who actually just walked in on her in a very compromising position, she jumped out of bed and scrambled to find something appropriate to put on. "Waverly? Jesus Christ kid, is that you? The fuck you doing here? We were supposed to meet you at the studio at ten!" This was the last thing she needed. Her heart was beating wildly, threatening to break free of its cage as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Aloof as ever, Eliza seemed completely unfazed by the whole situation, and was still yawning and stretching the sleep from her muscles completely naked in Nicole's bed. "Put some clothes on damn it! You need to go." She whisper-yelled at the blonde, who just shrugged and started to get dressed.

Nicole could hear Waverly thumping her head on the closed door out of embarrassment. "Yes, you were, but you two assholes never freaking showed up and Wy wasn't answering her phone, so I got worried and she gave me a key in case I ever needed it for anything! I knocked a bunch, but no one answered, so I just let myself in! It's already almost noon Nicole! You missed our meeting! I thought something bad happened, but you were out gallivanting about, and sleeping around like always!" Waverly was shouting from behind the door, her eyes still shut tight afraid of what else she might see. It was the situation that frazzled her more than anything. It definitely was not the soft curves and pale skin she had just got an eye full of. It had been years since she had seen the carefree red head and this was not exactly how she imagined her reunion. The two had a tense relationship in the past, and the older girl always seemed to get under her skin. She was irresponsible and reckless, hopping into bed with any pretty girl that gave her the time of day. She lived fast and wild. Waverly hated everything about her, from her cocky dimpled smile, to her stupid laugh, to her big dumb brown eyes that looked like they held the warmth of a thousand suns.

She couldn't believe she completely missed their meeting after Wynonna had practically begged her for this favor, just to have another random hook up. Actually, thinking about it she most certainly could. This really was typical Nicole Haught behavior. She should have known this would be a waste of time, but she really did need a bit of extra cash to get her through her last summer before her final year of college. Reluctantly, she had agreed when Wynonna promised enough money to make it without having to get another job for the entirety of her break. All she would have to do is sing some lines for a few songs and she would have the rest of her summer to do whatever she wanted.

"Shit, are you freaking kidding me?! I thought I set an alarm. It must not have gone off. Go wake up Wynonna and Rosita, we gotta go! We still have the booth until five." Nicole yelled, throwing on some old jeans and grabbing a cut off t-shirt.

Waverly let out an exaggerated "fine" and banged her head one last time before she turned down the hall to Wynonna's room.

Nicole popped her head out the door, "Oh and Little Waves? Make sure you knock or you’re likely to relive this situation except with your sister and her lover instead. And though I'm quite sure you just enjoyed every inch of the free view you were just awarded, I don't think it'll be nearly as enticing seeing your sister like that." The ginger winked, before tossing the old Rush t-shirt so threadbare it was practically see through over her head, giving the younger girl another free view of her bare stomach, but now bra clad chest. If Waverly could have been redder she would have. Stupid Nicole, she most definitely did not enjoy even one second of that encounter. If she could have rewound time and never have had to see that, she would have… probably. Nicole did have a very nice body, but that was beside the point. She was a cocky, smug asshole and Waverly was not having any of it.

Nicole chased Eliza out as quickly as she could. She had places to be and she didn’t have time for any lollygagging. “Okay, you really got to go Liz. I’ll uh see you around kay.” She said, practically shoving her out the front door. 

“Fine, I was hoping to have another round, but I guess I’ll see you later Nic. Hit me up next time you want to have another go at it.” The unrelenting blonde pulled her into one last searing kiss before she left with a slap to the ass from Nicole, just as Waverly entered the kitchen. 

Waverly scoffed at the interaction, making Nicole turn in question. “You got something to say Waverly?” Nicole asked with a sigh.

“Nope, not at all.” Her head was turned and she was refusing to make eye contact with the ginger. 

The redhead took a few steps closer to close some of the distance. “Seriously kid, if you-”

“I am not a kid!” She shouted, “I am a fully grown adult lady! Maybe you'd know that if you hadn't completely avoided me the past six years!” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she was visibly vibrating with tension.

Nicole took a step back and looked down at her hands, rubbing them together roughly. “I, uh… I know. Old habits and all... I’m sorry I missed our meeting if that’s what this is about. I know it was super unprofessional. Apparently Eliza felt the need to shut my alarm off, without me knowing.” Waverly was glaring at her, the fire in her eyes, starting to make Nicole in all her gusto, uncomfortable. She shifted in her spot, rubbing the back of her neck. 

“It was super unprofessional Nicole! I took time out of my day to come do this favor for you, just to find you wrapped up between some random girls thighs.” The foot stomp at the end of her rant accentuated her point. 

Nicole smirked at her. Something about Waverly in that moment, with her arms crossed, pout on her face and little stomping foot made her smile. All the times she and Wynonna would take off on their bikes leaving a sad little kid in their dust flashed back to her in a wave. Thinking back, she was kind of punk and maybe a little bit of a jerk. She was never outright mean to the kid, she did occasionally tease her, and her and Wyonnna would regularly ditch her to do their own thing; they were older after all. She remembered the all the times little Waverly caught her hooking up with different girls. Not to mention the time she and Wynonna were supposed to take her to middle school cheer tryouts, but instead got drunk and high then ended up hooking up with each other. Waverly skipped into their room happier than could be, in her cute cheer get up, only to be shot down not a second later, by two irresponsible idiots. They were always into something back then. Two broken teens just trying to hold it together with alcohol, drugs and sex. She cringed at the thought. No wonder Waverly didn’t like her, she was definitely a grade A asshole. 

At the time it felt like they were decades apart, but now, now she was looking at a grown ass woman scowling at her and for some reason, she couldn’t help but think what if. “I know Waverly. And, I know you don’t think it means much coming from me, but I’m sorry. Big time sorry. Not just for this morning, for everything we put you through as kids. You were such a sweet kid and I was an ass. And, I know it’s not an excuse, but I was messed up back then. Wy and I both were. I've changed a lot since those days. I've grown up and I'm not claiming to be the best person ever, but if you give me the chance, I’d like to make it up to you." She gave Waverly a genuine smile, not a cocky grin or smirk, just a warm, kind, from the bottom of her heart smile. 

Nicole’s dimple popped, tugging at Waverly’s heart strings and she had no choice but to forgive her. “Fine Nicole, but I'm out at the first sign of funny business, deal?” Waverly held out her hand for Nicole to shake.

Nicole smiled and met Waverly in the middle. “Deal, but define funny business. Is it the sex, drugs or rock and roll? I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. Or maybe the alcohol, lets not forget the copious amounts of alcohol.” That soft smile turned back to a smirk in the blink of an eye, and just like that, smug, asshole Nicole was back. 

Dropping her hand in defeat, Waverly sighed. Why was Nicole like this? She really thought she was getting through to her. She was always like this though. One second she was the sweetest, most considerate person in the world and the next she was the biggest ass she had ever encountered.

“Oh come on Waves, I’m joking. Whatever you want I’ll do it. You’re the one doing me a favor, remember. I’ll be good I promise.” Waverly looked at her through squinted eyes, Nicole's puppy dog peepers in full affect. She was making it really hard but also really easy to hate her at the same time. Luckily, it would only be a few days, maybe a week at most and she’d take her money and enjoy her upcoming summer break. Hell maybe she could even travel a bit. As much as she’d wanted to she’d never had the chance.

“Alright jeez. Just keep yourself in check. I know random hook ups are your thing and all, but I really don’t want a repeat of this morning.” Nicole put her hands up in mock defense.

“I would never.” Gasping, Nicole feigned offence. “Besides, Eliza is hardly random. We’ve known each other for years and we get reacquainted at least every couple months when I’m not on the road.” Maybe the comment was in poor taste. Maybe the fact that she wriggled her eyebrows at the time was even poorer, but she couldn’t help herself and it slipped through her mouth anyway.

The brunette sighed. That was as good as it was going to get she supposed. “Please just shut up Nicole. Why can’t you just be normal?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know normal is overrated. Now, where’s that hot mess you call a sister? We need to get going if we want to make at least some progress today.”

At that, Wynonna stumbled down the stairs, in a crop top and some leather pants, Rosita hot on her heels. “Ask and you shall receive. One hot mess at your service. Now let’s go dweebs, I need some breakfast and I know they got free donuts and coffee for us down at the studio. You driving Haught?” Wynonna said picking her leather jacket up off the back of the couch. It was already too hot to be wearing it, but Wynonna absolutely refused to take it off, even in the late spring heat. Something about keeping up her esthetic.

“I was gonna ride my bike, but sure Wy, if you want to ride in the ol’ beast, anything for you babe.” Nicole winked at her friend, before running upstairs to get her keys out or yesterday's jeans.

Waverly's face was all squished up again and Wynonna wasn't having it. "Spit it out Baby Girl. You look like you sucked on a lemon."

"Hey." She said weakly. "So I guess you and Nicole are still sleeping together then? What is this, some weird thruple or something."

Wynonna choked on air. "Wha...what? That was like a couple times when we were teens." Rosita was snickering next to her girlfriend like it was the funniest thing in the world. Wynonna elbowed her in the side and gave her a "shut the fuck up" look.

"Oh come on Wy, you can't seriously think it's not at least a little suspicious that two bisexuals and a lesbian are all living together. And there was that one ti-."

"Rosita shut the fuck up!" She screeched, her voice a little too high pitched. Waverly gave her sister an incredulous look, prompting her to continue. "We're just friends Waves. Best friends, but nothing more. Promise. I'm, I'm in lo- love with Rosita. And the only person Nicole is in love with is herself."

"Hey fuckers, quit talking shit about me and let's go. We're already late enough as is." Nicole skipped down the stairs, hopping over the banister on the last few. "Waves, you riding with us, or taking whatever you arrived in?"

"Well considering I arrived in an uber, I guess I'm stuck with you three hooligans." She sighed. 

"Cool. You can ride in the front, with me. Let's go." Nicole ignored the scoffs coming from Wynonna and they made their way to the classic car. "Ma' Lady. Your chariot awaits." Nicole held the door open for Waverly, trying hard to win her over. 

"Thanks." Waverly said in an almost monotone voice. As much as she was trying to hide it, Nicole could make out the faint curve of her lip, from the smile she was trying to fend off. Hopefully Waverly loosened up some or this was definitely going to be an interesting next few days.

  
  
  
  



	2. The Faint of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did somebody take your tongue? Waverly's brain goes kaput when she realizes something she didn't want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo new chapter, same old me. Check out the Playlist if you want. For whatever reason it won't let me embed the playlist link so here's this instead.  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kQKLhNnPL4o1HCG6m2TNZ?si=xVxZN0s8R9qF1eXoDlxDxQ&utm_source=copy-link
> 
> Check it out the song is pretty dang catchy and I'm not just saying that cause they are my favorite.

The thirty minute ride to the studio was incredibly awkward. Wynonna and Rosita made out in the back seat while Waverly kept her eyes straight ahead, not wanting to catch a glimpse of something else that would be permanently seared into her mind today. Nicole just turned up the radio volume with an easy smile, like she had been in this position hundreds of times over, while Waverly scowled at the utterly oblivious ginger from the passenger seat. 

All was well and good, until Nicole god damned smirked at her. "Would you rather listen to them sloppy ass bitches Waves? Cause I'd be more than happy to turn the radio off completely." Waverly's scowl hardened, the little crease in her forehead deepening yet she still did not say a word. "I'll take that as a no." The smug laughed that left her mouth, twisted Waverly's insides. 

"For the love of god, will you just shut up Nicole! Don't you have an off switch or something?" Waverly crossed her arms tight around her chest in a huff.

Nicole laughed. She should have stopped then and there, but she couldn’t help herself really. It was like it was her life's mission to irritate the younger woman, so against her best judgement, she continued on. "Well I do, but it's probably nowhere you're interested in touching."

A snort broke through the sounds in the backseat and Waverly went crimson from her toes to the tips of her ears. "Nope. Nope, I can't do this. You are too much. Let me out, I'm going home."

Eyes fixed the road, Nicole struggled to hold back her laughing. "Oh come on you walked right into that! Besides we are in the middle of the city, I’m not just letting you out here. You are tiny, you could be kidnapped."

Wynonna and Rosita were both snickering in the backseat now too. "Yeah Waves you really did. Just chill out Baby Girl, we're just messing around. If you want to hang with the big kids you're gonna have to loosen up. Besides I'd take lovable asshole Haught to depressed anxiety stricken Haught any day.” Wynonna said from the back seat. “Take her BS and throw that shit right back at her. It's the only way she'll learn."

An overly whiny "Hey" slipped past Nicole's lips. 

Wynonna shut her down quick though, "Oh shut up Nic. Quit being a baby." 

"Yeah shut up, Nic." Rosita chimed in.

All of Nicole’s swagger deflated in an instant and Waverly wanted to wipe the pout that replaced it, right off her stupid perfect face. "See Waves? Easy peasy. Don't let her fool you. She's not as cool or hard as she thinks."

"Eat shit, Earp. Would someone not cool or hard have all these amazing tattoos?" She huffed.

Wynonna scoffed at her. "Yes, because you are a little bitch baby poser and you used numbing cream before you got them. I literally saw you bawling your eyes out not two days ago because you read an article about a dog that adopted some abandoned baby raccoons!"

Nicole cleared her throat. Wynonna wasn't wrong, but she had an image to uphold. "Oh would you look at that here we are, everybody get the fuck out and stop grilling me already. We got shit to do."

***

They had been in the studio a couple hours now, trying to get the right sound for the song. As it turned out, Waverly hadn't actually listened to their first album, seemingly out of plain old spite for her older sister's best friend. So the group had spent the first hour there, forcing her to sit through it, so she at least knew what they were looking for.

"I just don't get it, Waves I sent you both a physical album and the Spotify link. You are literally on Nicole’s family plan." Wynonna said in astonishment. 

Waverly squinted at the redhead tapping away in the corner on her laptop, she was not aware it was Nicole's account she was on. She turned back to her sister, "I've just been busy, Wy." Waverly said, trying to brush it aside.

"For over two years? You've been too busy to listen to our first born for over two years now?" Nicole was quietly ignoring the exchange, while her friend questioned her baby sister's reasoning. Honestly, it did sting a bit that Waverly, who despite all else, always praised their music and encouraged them to continue, hadn't actually taken the time to listen.

Waverly rubbed her temples like she was fighting off a headache. "Can we please just drop it, Wy? I'm listening now. That's all that matters." She pulled the oversized studio headphones over her ears and curled up onto the old black couch in the corner to listen in peace. 

“Fine Waverly, just let us know when you’re done.” Wynonna grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and the two left out the door. Nicole waved, but didn’t even pay them a second glance. She had tucked herself into the opposite corner and was listening through some of the demos she had recorded a few weeks prior. 

Waverly scowled at her for no other reason than that, but finally conceded when the older girl either didn’t notice or seem to care. So instead, she clicked through her phone until she got to the album in question. The stifling silence of the first few seconds was suddenly overtaken by… piano? She thought this was supposed to be rock music. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion as the first notes of the song drifted through her ears. She checked her phone to confirm she was listening to the right album. Sure enough, the first song of "Ghost River" was streaming beautifully right into her little head. The piano melody was over as quickly as it began and swiftly faded out into an off kilter electric guitar and drum beat. As the vocals kicked in Waverly felt her heart drop into her stomach. It was strange hearing Nicole like that, she was sure it was a different person singing. The gritty voice took her by surprise. It wasn't her normal brand of listening and she had absolutely no idea what the hell the lyrics were about, but by the time the first track faded into the second, she knew she was in love. It was amazing, and fused together a perfect blend of rock and pop, that never in a million years should have worked, but somehow against all odds, did. 

Throughout the entirety of the album, she found pleasant surprises in the way it was arranged. It was fun, and lively and fierce, but beneath it all was a hidden darkness and anger that took her off guard. Oh how blind had she been. 

When the last song played out, Waverly removed her headphones and looked at Nicole, still consumed in her work. The dim studio light reflected faintly off the red in her hair, framing her face and highlighting the small beauty mark under her left eye. Had that always been there? She continued to stare at the unsuspecting ginger, wondering what was going on in that head of hers to create something so complex. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Nicole looked up from her screen and their eyes locked, wild untamed brown orbs boring deep into dazed hazel. Waverly’s mind went blank, she searched the void for the right words to convey her emotions. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words never came. Instead, her obtrusive older sister burst through the door with an entire box of stolen donuts in hand. By the time she looked back in Nicole’s direction, the moment had passed and she had returned to whatever task had garnered her attention for the past hour.

***

Nicole was beaming. Waverly had been in the booth for a few hours now, recording some sessions and was doing better than any of them would have ever guessed. Who would have thought that annoying Baby Waves would have a rock and roll voice. It was getting late though, Nicole knew they were going to be shut down any minute now. They could all get some well needed rest and pick up where they left off in the morning. She gathered up her stuff to leave, "Waverly, you're free to go. Do you need a ride or is someone picking you up?" She asked the girl twiddling her thumbs on the old couch. 

Waverly sighed, "Of freaking course. She didn't tell you, did she?" She ran a hand through her long honey brown waves and nodded towards Wynonna who was slowly trying to sneak out of the room with her girlfriend in tow. 

"Ooh you're in trouble." Rosita laughed, then gave her a quick peck on the cheek and ran off, leaving Wynonna to explain all by herself. 

"What didn't she tell me, Waverly?" Nicole questioned. 

"I'll just be out by the car while you two dish it out." Waverly shot her sister a look as she waltzed out of the room.

Nicole scowled at her oldest friend. What the hell had she done?

Defiant, Wynonna held her gaze until Nicole's glare lit fire in her throat and forced her to speak. "God fine Nicole, I told Waverly she could stay with us this week, while she was recording. She's on spring break and it's easier than having to pick her up from Gus' place in the country every morning or her taking an uber. Plus it's not like we don't have the space. That damn cabin is big enough that you two will probably barely even see each other."

Nicole groaned dramatically. "Have I told you I hate you today?"

"Heh" Wynonna laughed, "No not today I don't believe. Now get your shit and take us home. I'm hungry and you need to make us dinner. Also Waverly is vegan so be sure to make something she can eat."

Nicole scrunched her brow and shook her head. "Nope uh uh, we literally have nothing in the house for a vegan meal, order something and we'll pick it up on the way."

Wynonna smirked and raised an eyebrow in question, "You paying?"

"I literally always pay, Wy. It's like you think I'm made of money." Nicole deadpanned. 

"Maybe one day, you lovable idiot. Maybe one day." Wynonna lightly punched her friend on the shoulder and headed out.

"Yeah, maybe." Nicole mumbled under her breath, a faint smile was hidden behind the long messy hair she let fall into her face. In reality, she never cared about the money. Yeah, it was nice to not have to worry about how she would pay her bills or even where her next meal would come from, but all she really wanted was to make music and tell her stories. Given the type of music they made, she knew going into this, they'd likely never make millions. But maybe, if they were lucky, they could make enough to enjoy a comfortable life. One with their cabin by the lake and her songs and her extravagant stories. A life that she had never even dreamed possible as an angry, depressed kid, with a violent father and a mother that couldn't give two shits about her.

***

In her time spent at the cabin, Waverly generally kept to herself. On occasion, Nicole would catch her glare from across the couch or as she was not so casually passing by her office on her way to bed. Nicole had tried to engage and make a friendly environment even going as far as cooking strictly vegan dinners every night after the first, but it seemed as much as Nicole tried, the brunette was intent on keeping their relationship strictly professional. So Nicole conceded and let her be. She had extended the olive branch and hoped Waverly might take it. There were a lot of wrongs to right, but after spending a few days with her, Nicole knew she wanted to try. Yes she was kind of a little grouch towards Nicole, but underneath the veil, she was smart and kind and funny and so completely disarmingly endearing. Unfortunately and most importantly, she completely from the bottom of her soul, despised Nicole Haught.

By the end of the sixth day, Waverly was putting out some excellent results. Although she sounded amazing, Nicole couldn't help but feel something was missing in their final song. She furrowed her eyebrows as she messed with the mix, a frustrated Waverly waiting not so patiently for direction in the recording booth. "Sorry Waverly can you do it one more time? You sound great, I don't know, something is off." 

Waverly crossed her arms and scowled at the struggling redhead. "Seriously Nicole, we've done this same part like a hundred times now! What do you mean something is off! I need more to go on than that!" Nicole slumped in her chair, she knew she was right, but she couldn’t seem to put into words something she herself couldn't pinpoint. 

A throat cleared from behind her. "Might I suggest you just go in there and actually show her how you want it, Nicole. Maybe you could sing your parts then she could go from there. Like a duet or something." Doc chimed in from his spot on the couch. His guitar parts finished recording a few days ago, he decided to come check on their progress, he was co-producing the thing after all. For many years, he had been the voice of reason when her mind felt scrambled and nothing seemed to make sense. He was her right hand when it came to bringing everything together and mixing their sound full of soul and energy. 

As much as she didn't want to, Nicole knew he was right. She would go in there and sing in the way she wanted and pray to God that Waverly didn't get too mad about it. "Fine" she groaned, letting out an exaggerated breath as she stood. "But if Waverly gets mad I'm blaming you. She'll forgive you quicker."

Nicole cautiously entered the booth, Waverly staring daggers at her as she approached the mic. The look the younger woman was giving her made her want to shy away and slink back out. She looked down at her feet, her hand rubbing aggressively at the back of her neck. It was rare that Nicole was so timid, but the way Waverly was looking at her, like she was physically holding back from attacking her, made her want to shrink in on herself. She turned to the window and received an encouraging smile and thumbs up from Doc. Oh fuck it, Waverly already disliked her, despite all the attempts she had made during the week to win her over. If it didn’t concern the music, it was like she was talking to a brick wall. One song, it was all she needed before they’d be done and Waverly could exit her life again. She stepped up to the mic, grabbed the spare headphones and cleared her throat before speaking. “I uh… Doc he th- thought… um.” she stuttered.

Waverly looked at her, impatience burning deep. “Nicole for the love of god just spit it out. We’ve already spent almost a week here. I’d like to have at least a couple days of spring break to do normal college things!” the tiny ball of fury hissed.

Nicole looked like she had been slapped across the face for probably the millionth time this week and her emotions finally erupted out of her in a way she never intended. “Jesus Waverly, if being here is that horrible just go. I would hate to keep you from your normal college things.” She growled. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you since you got here and have literally gone out of my way everyday to make sure you are comfortable and taken care of and you still treat me like shit.” Nicole’s voice was rising against her will and before she knew it she could feel the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. The redhead took a steading breath, praying to anyone that was listening they would not fall. Waverly looked on in awkward silence, eyes wide, and mouth agape. Nicole squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, before she continued. “Look Waverly, I know I was an ass when I was younger. I spend every day of my life thinking about all the stupid shit I did back then, all the people I hurt. It wasn’t just you. And I know I’ve already apologized before, but I’m sorry Waves. You deserved better. You needed us and we left you behind without a second thought.” Her body was tense and visibly shook with every breath she took. She didn't need forgiveness, only a sense of understanding at this point.

***

Waverly stood, frozen in shock. In all the years they’d know each other and despite everything, Nicole had never in her life, spoken to her like that. Stern and confident, like she was scolding her, but the apology that came out instead took her by surprise and rattled around in Waverly’s silly little head. Her heart pounded in her chest, the thud in her ears all she could hear. Nicole was flushed, a red tint coating her face and chest as she licked her lips and nervously bit the lower. In that moment, Waverly’s racing heart dropped right down, passed her stomach and left her gasping for air. Oh fuck. No, nope she wasn’t doing this, she was definitely not equipped to metally deal with this ball to drop right now. She had to evade, get back to a safe zone and deal with whatever this was later or maybe never, probably never, but she wasn’t sure yet. Apologize, ignore, and move on, yeah that sounded like a solid plan. “It- it’s okay Nic. I’m sorry for kind of acting like a bitch. Can we please just finish so we can go home?”

The sound that left Nicole’s throat was wet and strangled, somewhere between happy and confused. “Yeah, sure Waverly, whatever you want.” She watched the redhead inhale deeply, before continuing. “So Doc suggested I sing with you, sort of like a duet or something. Maybe I sing my part and you come in with the secondary vocals and we see where that takes us.” Nicole paused for a second, searching Waverly’s face. “You really are doing great Waves, better than I could have ever hoped. I just want to try this one last thing and if it doesn’t work, well call it good and you are free to go. We’ll just use what you’ve already laid down to finish up. I’m sure it’s more than enough.” 

Waverly nodded, she wanted to say something, anything else to make it better, but it felt like someone took her tongue and the words never came. She watched Nicole drag a hand through her long red locks, pull the headphones over her ears and gesture for Doc to start the background track. Nicole’s eyes closed, focused hard on the sounds that surrounded her. Waverly took it as an opportunity to look at her, really look at her. She couldn't remember the last time she was actually this close to the ginger. God she was beautiful, the slope of her nose, her impeccable eyebrows, that tiny beauty mark below her eye, the faint scar, high on her left cheek. Wait, that definitely wasn't always there. Or was it? She was having difficulty remembering. Their younger days were a blur sometimes, clouded by sadness and longing. Even when Nicole came to live with them her last year of high school, she avoided Waverly like the plague most days. 

Nicole's raspy voice broke through the thoughts in her head and oh shit she was singing. Like really singing, her eyes were open and focused on the disconcerted brunette. She smirked that signature smile, dimple threatening to pop. Waverly's mouth went dry and her legs just about gave out. Oh no. She was not okay. Stupid beautiful, sexy, asshole Nicole, why did she have to look at her like that? How in the hell did she expect her to get any sounds out of her mouth, let alone fully formed words while under the heated gaze of those glowing brown eyes? She had to know what she was doing right? There was no way in hell she was so oblivious to not know the effect she was having on the younger woman.

Her part was coming up, she knew it was, but she also was still utterly unable to think about anything other than how unbearably soft Nicole's lips looked right then. Nicole's smile widened, and her dimple shone. Waverly’s eyes flicked back up as though they had been caught in the crime of the century. Their eyes locked. Nodding her head, Nicole’s eyebrows lifted to signal it was now or never. The words spilled out in a flood and once she started it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Like breathing or her heart relentlessly pounding in her chest, it was a part of her, something inherent that made up her entire being. She stared into Nicole's fiery eyes from across the mic, the two singing in sync and knew without a doubt that she was fucked.

***

Why the hell was Waverly looking at her like that? Like she wanted to slap the lopsided grin that had creeped its way onto her face right back off it. She most definitely was still angry. Nicole cursed her inability to have any semblance of control over her facial expressions. Fuck this stupid face that acts however the heck it wants she thought. She could see Waverly's eyes grow darker with every second that passed and when she looked down at Nicole's lips for a half a second, Nicole's smile grew so wide her dimple made an appearance. Waverly was completely red, but when the lyrics left her lips, Nicole knew whatever wrath she threw her way, at the end of the day, it would all be worth it. The song faded out, but dark hazel eyes remained captured in brown so passionate they almost burned red. 

"Holy fucking shit balls guys! What the dirty hell was that?!" Wynonna's voice cracked through the room speaker.

Nicole jumped in surprised then deflated, upon hearing those words. She thought it went well, but she must have been so distracted that it actually was just one one thing to add to the scrap pile. "Shit was it bad?” She sighed. “Sorry, I was kinda distracted. Should we do it again? We’re going to do it again?"

Wynonna was flailing about outside the room. "No! Stop! Don't do anything ever again! Nothing you've ever done or could ever do will top that! You might as well just die now because you ain't getting any better than that! Oh my fucking god! That was perfect! Get your stupid ass out here and we’ll play it back. You need to hear this.” Wynonna shouted into the mic.

Nicole looked over at Waverly who once again decided to look anywhere other than back at her. At least she wasn’t scowling. “Come on Waverly let’s see what all the jazz is about.” Waverly jumped when Nicole nudged her with her shoulder to get her attention. 

The brunette’s eyebrows were furrowed and she was chewing obsessively on her bottom lip. “Oh… uh yeah lets. Maybe it’s finally good enough that I can get out of your hair.” She snarked.

A nervous laugh bubbled out of Nicole’s throat. “Ye- yeah, hopefully.” 

Nicole took her place in front of the mixer, between Wynonna and Doc. She pressed play and let the music flow through her. Goosebumps erupted on her skin once Waverly's voice cut through. The song was never meant to be a duet but here, listening to her gritty style mix so perfectly with Waverly's smooth angelic tone, she knew she was wrong. She chanced a glance at the brunette and was rewarded with a raise of her eyebrow and a sly upward tick of her mouth, before her eyes skirted back to the photos on the wall. It was then that she realized, whatever they had pulled off today was a god damned masterpiece and Nicole would be damned if she let Waverly go back to her normal college life after this. It was settled, in her own head at least, Baby Waves was coming on tour with them. But before that, she had to convince the snarky little spitfire to shoot the music video with her. It was never in her plan, but come hell or high water she'd ensure it happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.  
> Come visit me on the old tweeters if you are so inclined @actuallysoftAF
> 
> Also fun fact, the chapter song was actually written about phone sex


	3. Toys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole talks to Waverly one on one about her plans. the 2 dish some stuff out  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! after a few week break, we are back with your new favorite band fic! I've added a couple new songs to the playlist as the ones that really inspired this chapter. I suck at making links so here's this instead https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kQKLhNnPL4o1HCG6m2TNZ?si=cq-vX-DMT_SMe4p-i65dsg
> 
> Side note these songs aren't really supposed to sound like what i'm describing in the fic, they are more inspiration in the lyrics and vibes of the music. Anyway hope you like what i'm doing with the story. 
> 
> Kudos, comments always appreciated and if you are really vibing a shout out on the twitter machine is always welcome @actuallysoftAF

"So a music video huh?" Wynonna asked, taking a long exaggerated drink of her beer. The two were sprawled out on the downstairs couch watching some obscure documentary on Netflix and having a few drinks while Rosita was out doing god knows what. Waverly had gone back to school a couple weeks ago and Nicole had been trying to figure out a way to get her to hop on board with the music video idea. “You really think Waves will go for it, Nic? She already gave you a hell of a time just trying to get her vocals recorded. You even sure you want to deal with that?”

Nicole laughed. Wynonna was right, Waverly had been nothing but a pain in her ass since the day she arrived, but after that last session she knew no matter what, she had to have more. It wasn’t like she missed her almost permanent scowl saved only for her, or the snarky snapbacks whenever she tried to tease her, or the hint of pink that tinted her tan skin whenever she got just a little too flustered. No, no she definitely didn’t miss any of that, it all most definitely, 100%, boiled down to the fact that they had created something beautiful together and she wasn’t even close to being ready to let it go. “Yeah Wy, I think I do. You heard that last session, it was special. Besides, despite her refusal to admit it, I think I’m finally starting to grow on her again. Remember how she used to follow me around like a lost puppy when we were kids? She was so cute and innocent and good, and I wasn’t worried about fucking her up yet.” She sighed, nostalgia burning through her like fire. 

It was easier back then, before she became the twisted shell of the kid she was. A kid could only take so many knocks upside the head and words laced with venom before they crumbled in on themselves. She had spent the years that followed trying to repair all the damage he had caused, Wynonna the only one privy to the full extent of what had actually happened.

A smile softer than most anything Wynonna ever put on, graced her face at Nicole’s words. “Yeah, I remember. She was devastated, you know? The kid practically idolized you growing up, I think she’s still hurt and it’ll probably take a lot more work to mend all the damage done. I mean I get why you did it, it’s not like I didn’t help, but I can’t really blame her for holding a grudge. She loved you and you left her behind.”

Her head ducked down and her eyes watered, at the thought of those sad hazel eyes watching her go as she left the homestead for the last time. “I know, I just didn’t know what else to do. I could barely keep my own shit together, I would have never forgave myself if I ever hurt her.” Nicole took a long pull of her beer, thinking back to the heartbroken look on Waverly’s face every time she ignored her, or left her sitting alone on her front porch, to disappear for days on end. She was a shattered person, but she was better now, she’d grown and healed, and slowly but surely put herself back together. Yeah, she was still a bit rough around the edges, but hey no one was perfect and she was trying her best.

“Keep at it Nic. You're good, like really fucking good and it may take your entire life, but it’ll be worth it to have her back in it. She’s pretty fucking amazing.” Wynonna nudged Nicole’s foot with her own.

Nicole smiled and threw a light kick back. “Don’t tell her this, but I’m willing to offer her whatever she wants, I’ll even dip into my own paycheck if need be, just to get her in on this. I was hoping I could even smoose her into coming on tour with us this summer, having her sing the backups and what not. I know we're probably only playing a couple songs that even have them, but I think it'll be worth it."

Wynonna shot her friend an incredulous look and snorted. "Yeah good luck with that one, there is no way in hell Baby Girl will ever go for that."

"You’re probably right, but I have to at least try." Nicole shrugged. 

***

Waverly exited her advanced creative writing class without a care in the world, Chrissy Nedley talking her ear off about god knows what, while they walked. "Hey, isn't that Nicole?" She pointed across to the parking area. Waverly's head snapped up so quick she swore she got whiplash.

Sure enough, Nicole Haught sat perched atop her Harley, one single sunflower in hand, seemingly waiting for the tiny brunette to exit her last class of the day. Waverly dropped her books with a loud thud. "What! What in holy heck is she doing here?" 

Nicole looked up at the commotion, her eyes locked with Waverly’s and she smiled so wide Waverly was sure her face would split in two. She swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly sucked dry of all moisture. God damnit, how the hell did she simultaneously look so unbelievably sexy and so adorably like a damn puppy at the same time, it really wasn't fair.

"I have no idea, but she's coming over here, so you better pull yourself together. You look like you’re going into full gay panic mode, though I guess it’d be bisexual panic mode considering you’re still down with the d." The casualness of Chrissy’s tone did nothing to calm the brunette's nerves. "Nicole Haught, long time no see, what brings you to our neck of the woods!" Waverly cringed at Chrissy's overly cheery tone as she greeted her mortal enemy.

Nicole's eyes and grin didn't leave Waverly's until she spoke, finally forced to acknowledge Chirssy’s presence. "Do my eyes deceive me or is little Chrissy Nedley all grown up." The flirty smile and tone behind Nicole's world only served to rile Waverly up even more.

“What do you want Nicole?” Waverly interrupted, not wanting to let whatever this was go on any longer than necessary. “Is it the recordings? Do you need something else?” She questioned.

Pulling her attention back to the tiny ball of fury in front of her, Nicole’s smile grew, even under the scrutiny of Waverly’s glare, “Uh, n- no. I wanted to see if maybe you’d like to get some dinner or something. You know, as a thank you for all your hard work, helping us finish up the album and all.” Nicole’s eyes drifted to her feet, arm lifting to rub the back of her neck nervously, her bicep almost intentionally flexing under the perfectly cuffed sleeve of her striped button up shirt. 

God damn this woman. Hopeful eyes raised to meet Waverly’s once again, the question lingering in the air. No, there was no way in hell she was spending time alone with Nicole. She’d shut her down quick and distance herself, lest this insane dare she say crush, get even more out of hand. So much of her childhood and early teen years were spent yearning after the mesmerizing redhead, only to be left heartbroken and abandoned when Nicole completely vanished after she graduated. She would not allow herself to fall for Nicole's charm again. Her brain rattled off the first excuse she could think of, anything to get her out of her current predicament. "Ooh sorry Nicole, Chrissy and I had plans. Call me later, maybe we can set something up.” She grabbed for her friend in an unsuccessful attempt to lead them away from Nicole’s presence.

“Actually Waves something just came up I gotta jet!” Chrissy said with a devilish smile. “She’s all yours Nicky! Enjoy your date Waves!”

"It's not a date! Wait, Chrissy! Come back! What the hell!" Waverly called after her friend as she bolted off away from them. Darn Chrissy, she'd pay for this later. "Fudgenuggets" She whispered under her breath. 

Stupid, adorable Nicole just smiled at her like she hadn't a care in the world. "So, I guess that means you're free huh?"

Waverly sighed, there was no getting out of this it seemed. "One hour Nic. You have one hour to say whatever it is you came for and to feed me and if I don't like it, you have to agree to leave me alone forever unless it's business related, got it."

Nicole nodded in agreeance, closing some of the distance between them. "Yes ma'am, whatever you say. Also, I got this for you." She beamed, holding out the large sunflower she had been spinning nervously between her long fingers. 

Waverly tried not to smile, she told her hands not to take it from the redhead, she really did, but sunflowers were her weakness and seemingly after all this time, Nicole still somehow remembered that about her. Nicole made it easy sometimes, to forget the way she left her heartbroken and alone as a kid. "I uh, thanks. So, where are we going then?" She asked, taking in the single flower, almost as big as her head.

Nicole smirked, reached over her bike into the travel compartment and pulled out her spare helmet. "Here, hop on and you'll find out."

Waverly snatched the helmet from her hands, trying to hide her excitement of getting to ride on the back of Nicole's motorcycle. "Fine Nicole, but if you kill us, I will never forgive you." She grumbled through fake irritation.

Nicole froze. "Uh maybe we should just walk. Just to be safe. It's not that far and I'm already trying my darndest to get back in your good graces."

"No, no, no Nicole, no take backs. You better make this the best and safest ride of my life." Waverly quipped. She would not miss out on this opportunity.

Nicole let out a little chuckle, "You think too highly of me little Waverly. You can either have the best ride or the safest, you can't have both." She smirked.

"Just get on the freaking bike Nicole, the clock is ticking." Her finger tapped at her wrist watch, her books becoming increasingly heavy in her arms. "Here do something with these." She shoved them into Nicole’s unsuspecting chest, getting a small "oof" in return that made her smile in satisfaction. "You seriously can't expect me to hold on and lug these heavy things around as well."

"Of course not, ma lady." The exaggerated bow that accompanied her words made Waverly involuntarily snort, and Nicole's smug smirk widened.

"There is seriously something wrong with you Nicole."

Nicole laughed, "Yeah, but unfortunately, it had nothing to do with whatever that was." She unceremoniously shoved the books into her saddle bags, handed Waverly the leather jacket off her own back and moved to straddle her Harley. "Put it on, it gets a bit cold with the breeze. Also safety and all that jazz. Oh, and put the flower in that bag so it doesn't get ruined." 

Squinting at the older woman, Waverly reluctantly took the jacket. She did get cold easily after all. "Not that I care, but what about your safety Nicole? I don't think that silk shirt is going to help much in the way of road rash."

"Huh" Nicole shrugged. "For someone who "doesn't care" you sure seem worried about the state of my skin. I mean I can't really blame you, after seeing me in all my naked glory. It doesn’t really matter though, I have no intention of crashing us today." 

The image of Nicole's very naked body flashed through her head for probably the millionth time and Waverly went beat red. She definitely didn't want that memory any more, no, no definitely not. Stupid smug Nicole, she wanted to smack that cocky grin right off the redhead's disgustingly perfect face. Instead she gritted her teeth and shrugged the jacket on. "Never mind, I hope you do get road rash. Maybe it'll knock you down a peg or two."

Rolling with the punches, Nicole just laughed, and started up her bike. “If only, maybe then we’d finally be eye level.” The engine roared to life, cutting off any clever comeback Waverly thought she had.

Instead she put on her helmet with a scowl, saying the only thing floating around her head in that moment. “You seriously are the worst person I’ve ever met.

“Psh, that’s only cause you never had the pleasure of meeting my ol’ man.” Nicole ended with a slight chuckle, but Waverly could hear something hidden just beneath the surface. Something painful, that left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Come on, hop on Waves, according to you, we only have about 55 minutes left before I have to set you free to the wilds of college life again.” Nicole turned away from her, both hands gripping the handle bars, indicating the conversation was over.

Waverly climbed on the bike, scooting as far back as physically possible, while loosely gripping Nicole’s waist in an attempt to keep some sort of space between them. A high pitched squeak escaped Waverly’s mouth as soon as Nicole accelerated, her arms involuntarily tightening around Nicole’s firm waist, squeezing her snug against a firm back. Fuck. She could feel the outline of solid abs underneath the thin fabric of Nicole’s shirt. Long red hair peeked out from under Nicole’s helmet, tickling her face in the wind, her attempts at keeping her distance rendered useless. Vanilla wafted into her head, making her brain hazy. Double fuck. The steady vibrations of the engine only exacerbated ache between her thighs. She squeezed them together tightly, searching to no avail for any sort of relief. Why the fuck did her mind and body hate her. It would be so much easier to just continue this nonsensical hatred for the ginger, but something deep down inside her fought against it, every step of the way. She was a goner, and there was nothing she could do now nor ever to stop the magnetic pull she felt for the older woman. Her whole world came crashing down around her as the realization that her feelings towards the exasperating redhead were and always have been, more than a simple crush, hit her full force. Triple Fuck. What the shit was she supposed to do about that.

The ride was quick, the vegan restaurant Nicole had thoroughly researched, being only a couple blocks away. "I hear they have good vegan options here." Nicole said, trying to impress Waverly as they were seated across from each other at a table.

Waverly scoffed. "Well, I'd hope so, considering you picked a freaking vegan restaurant." 

"Yes, yes. I suppose that would make sense." Damn it, her attempt at being smooth was going splendid. She should have known Waverly would know the restaurant, it was the only vegan restaurant near campus. “Please order whatever you want. It’s on me, obviously.”

“Obviously. Hasn’t that already been established?” Waverly scoffed. She was trying to be hard, Nicole was so darn cute though, it was making it difficult. But she wouldn’t give in, whatever Nicole wanted she would stay strong and hold steady. They ordered their food and ate in relative silence, both stealing quick glances in the other’s direction through the thick tension that surrounded them. Whatever Nicole had brought her here for, it was in no way just a thank you for the record. Waverly was not naive enough to believe that. Nicole was probably just trying to get into her good graces again, so she could ask her for another favor. When Waverly’s patience grew so thin it could snap with the flick of her wrist, she finally spoke. “So Nicole, what’s the deal? You can’t really expect me to believe whatever BS you’re spouting about just wanting to thank me for the recordings.”

Nicole grabbed the unused spoon from the table, rubbing it aggressively between her thumb and forefinger. “Oh come on kid, I can’t just take my best friend’s baby sister out to dinner as a thank you for helping us record some of the best music we’ve possibly ever made?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow to the younger Waverly.

The insinuation that all Nicole saw her as, was Wynonna's baby sister hit deep. Yeah they were almost five years apart in age, but she was a fully grown adult now. She wasn’t the same little kid that followed Nicole around like she was the best thing since sliced bread. “Seriously? That’s all? You could have just sent me a card or something. You didn’t have to take me out for dinner. I know the last person you want to be around is me.” All her insecurities seemed to be pushing their way out, Nicole couldn’t be bothered to spend two seconds with her in her teens, why the hell was she trying so hard now? It didn’t make sense. So she built her walls, higher and thicker until they were near impenetrable to the infallible charms of one Nicole Fucking Haught.

Nicole smirked, “Don’t act like you didn’t miss me, little Waves. I can see it in your eyes, you still have at least some semblance of affection for me.” The wink Nicole shot her made her briefly reconsider every bad thought she ever had towards her. And god dammit why was she like this. But then Nicole continued. “Look Waverly, I know I’m kind of hard to stomach right now and I know I was grade A asshat as a kid but there’s a lot tangled up in there that you were probably too young to realize. You were so young and good and innocent, I didn't want to mess you up like I was. There was so much that I didn’t want to tell you and didn’t want you to find out about me that I ran. As soon as I could, I ran as far away from all of it as I could. I know my apologies are never going to be enough, but I was hoping maybe we could get to at the very least a more civil place. I don’t want you to hate me forever. I’ll do anything it takes, literally anything, just name it, I’m game.”

Waverly took a minute to consider what Nicole was saying. Never once did it cross her mind, why in fact Nicole had distanced herself. She had made everything about herself and her own self pity. She was but a child after all, who could really blame her. But Nicole was here, trying to make things better, trying to be the person Waverly thought she was and there was something to be said about that. So she would try, try to mend the fences that had been destroyed by self doubt and hurt feelings. Waverly resigned herself to the fact that regardless of what Nicole had to say today, against her very will, she was already starting to forgive her. It was inevitable, if Nicole wanted back into her life, there was not much she could do to stop it. Her feelings were downright uncontrollable when it came to the redhead. “Okay Nic. Well work on it. But remember, all of your apologies are worthless if your actions don't reflect them. You're going to have to prove that you want to make this better. You are going to eventually have to come clean and tell me what actually happened. You know that right? How are we supposed to move forward if I don't know why things went wrong in the first place. We can’t just pretend that everything is good."

“I know Waves, I’ll tell you, I promise, but not now. Nicole smiled softly, a tinge of sadness hidden beneath that half smirk. “Let’s save that for the second date okay.” And there she was, back hidden behind that impenetrable 100 foot wall, where she held all her darkest secrets. That was as much as she was getting today, Waverly knew that much. So instead, instead she trudged forward with their now familiar banter. 

The fall back into her comfort zone was easy and by the time the words left her mouth, she was already back pretending to hate the conundrum of a woman sitting in front of her. “We’d actually have to have a first date to have a second, Nicole.” Waverly deadpanned.

“Well pardon me, I was under the assumption that when you invited a beautiful woman out for a wine and dine you would customarily call it a date. But I mean if you are that opposed, I guess we can call it something else. It’s not like either of us will be getting a goodnight kiss tonight.” Nicole laughed, and Waverly went red. Now, all she could think about was kissing those lips, running her hands through Nicole’s long red hair and pulling her close.

“Waverly? Did you hear me? You seemed like you left the atmosphere for a second.” Nicole questioned, oblivious concern coating her features. 

Oh no. How long had she been staring? Quick, say something. “Huh, What? I was... distracted.” 

Nicole snorted, and Waverly knew she had been caught. "I was just trying to ask how you would feel about doing some more work with us. It’s actually the reason I brought you here. I know you got a lot going on right now with school and everything, but I was hoping, come summer maybe if you wouldn't mind, I'd really love for you to help us with the music video for the song we recorded together."

"I'm confused, what do you mean "help"? You already have the recording, what more could you need?"

Nicole’s grin widened, her dimple deep enough to swim in. "Well Waverly, I need you. I want you to be in the music video with me and the band. With what the song has turned into it wouldn't make sense not to." What the heck did Nicole mean by that? 

No, no, no. There was no way in hell she was agreeing to that. She could barely think straight in Nicole’s presence as is, she didn't need to add whatever tension a music video would cause to the mix. She was already considering all her options for turning her down. When Nicole spoke again. 

"We are shooting on the beach, in California… I'll pay for everything, travel, food, everything. Whatever you need. And after we finish the song, I was thinking you could come on tour with us… you know, we could perform together and you would get to travel across the country with us free of charge. Like I said, I'd pay for everything." Nicole wasn’t the only one who had walls though and Waverly was intent on hiding behind hers for as long as humanly possible.

“Nicole, I can’t just go on tour with you guys. I’m not one of your fan girl groupies that just drops everything at your every whim. I have plans, prior commitments.” In reality, Waverly had neither of those things and was set to be as free as a bird come summer break. It was her last before her final year of college after all. Her original plan to travel with the money she had earned from the recordings had been side tracked with some unexpected tuition expenses. Now she was set to lounge around the Gibson ranch and pick up some shifts at Shorty’s as she had done for the past three summers. 

A pleading look overtook Nicole’s features. “Oh come on Wave’s. Wynonna already told me that your summer plans got derailed. Just come with us. You can even have my bunk on the bus. I can sleep on the floor or something. Just please come, the music needs you, hell I need you. You wanted to travel, well here’s how, just take a chance. I promise I won’t let you down again. Tell me what you want, what you need from me to make this work.” Nicole was sitting across from her, puppy dog eyes on full display, absently picking at the label of her beer bottle. 

She had to put an end to these unwarranted feelings and she needed to do it fast. Maybe if she made some outlandish requests Nicole would be forced to concede and leave her to her own devices. She’d be stupid to agree to any of it. And if she did, at the very least, if the trip turned out to be a bust she could probably make Nicole get her a bus ticket home.

She took a second to organize her list of demands in her head before speaking. "First, I want dinner every Friday after class until the tour starts. Then, I want you to pay for all of my meals while we are on tour. And I will be obviously taking your bed on the bus."

"Done." Minus the Friday dates, Nicole had already agreed to those things anyway, Waverly was blowing her chance at milking this for all it was worth. 

Hazel eyes squinted through long lashes across the table. “Next, if at any point things get weird, I’m out, and you will buy me a ticket home.”

Nicole nodded quickly in agreeance. “Yes of course, whatever you want.” Well that seemed too easy. 

She thought for a second, trying to come up with some semi unreasonable demand that would leave Nicole dead in her tracks. "And I want you to write a song for me." There was no way Nicole would agree to that one. And when Nicole responded with nothing but a snort, Waverly knew she had won. 

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, confusion coating Nicole’s features. She hesitated for a second longer before speaking. "I, I can't just write a song Waves, there's a lot more to it than that." Waverly gave herself a mental pat on the back for that one. She knew Nicole would never be able to agree to that. Song writing was difficult and if she wasn’t inspired, it was damn near impossible. 

Having finished dinner during their discussion, Waverly got up to leave, their hour up 15 minutes ago. "Well alright then, I guess I'll see you around Nicole."

Nicole stood quickly, her chair scraping the wood floor harshly, knocking it to the ground. She barely managed to grab Waverly's wrist before she could take another step away, halting her in her tracks. Nicole pulled back almost the instant her fingers touched Waverly's skin, leaving a ghost in place of the embers that shot flames up her entire arm. "Waverly wait! Whatever you want, I'll do it. It'll take some time though. If you can wait, I'll do it for you. Just please come with us, come with me."

Nicole’s pleading brown eyes bored right into her soul. And Waverly never was one to fall but here, trapped in Nicole’s gaze, she was losing herself against her very will. How could she say no to that. Her brow furrowed, she tried to make herself say no, say something, anything to get out of this situation. But when she finally spoke, her heart betrayed her mind and she was pulled even deeper into the redhead's orbit. "Okay."

***

When Waverly stood to leave, panic coursed through Nicole and she did the only she was capable of in that moment. The second her hand grabbed Waverly's wrist, regret hit her like a freight train and she pulled back in an instant. _Don't grab, don't be aggressive or overbearing._ They were the main rules she followed religiously to keep from becoming like him, from becoming him. _Keep it together Nic, you're better than that, you're good, and kind, and gentle,_ the voice in her head recited over and over again until it was all that filled her mind. Though she agreed to Waverly's demands, it wasn't like she even had the option not to, the request for a song really threw her for a loop. 

The funny thing was, Nicole had already written a song for the younger girl, and Waverly had already unknowingly listened to it that day in the studio. It was the last track on the record, the one she noticed tears swell in Waverly’s eyes at. It was a song filled with regret and anger and sadness and even a pinch of love, but it was hidden beneath the mismosh of wild lyrics and erratic playing that Waverly probably hadn't even been able to decipher it. The song was an apology in the barest sense, but she was not quite ready to come clean about it just yet. It didn’t really matter anyway, Waverly had grown and was not the same kid she once was. She had already made peace with the fact that not only would she have to get to know the woman the kid had become, but there was nothing she really wanted to do more. So she agreed, what else could she do really. 

Waverly stood, a glare locked onto Nicole's scared brown eyes for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally shifted her gaze to the floor, Nicole knew all was lost. But, against all odds, the word that left her mouth was not a rejection, but one single _“Okay”._ The dread filling Nicole at the thought of Waverly turning her down dissipated in a breath, replaced by a euphoric undertone, something new, scratching at her heart and begging to be let out. It was confusing and gratuitous, so she would bury it back down and shove it in the little box she put all the thoughts she wasn’t ready to deal with in. “Okay?” She questioned, surprise and excitement slipping through her as her smile widened.

“Okay.” Waverly repeated, a hint of a smile on her criminally soft looking lips. 

“Re- really? You’re not messing with me are you?” Nicole pushed out through the gravel in her throat.

Waverly rolled her eyes with fake annoyance. “No Nicole, I’m not messing with you. You are basically offering me a free cross country road trip with very minimal work involved. Of course I’d agree, I’d be stupid not to. Now, take me home on your stupid motorcycle before I change my mind.”

Nicole was beaming now, her smile too bright to be contained by the constraints of her intransigence. “Okay.” She breathed through a dopey smile.

“Okay.” Waverly repeated one last time as she grabbed Nicole’s jacket off the back of her chair and shrugged it on, making her way out the door.

Nicole watched her go, in awe of the woman she had become. Every cell in her brain told her this was a bad idea, but her heart, her heart had different plans and for once in her life, she wanted to see where it would lead her.


	4. Old Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly have their last dinner before the band sets on the road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo what up fam, it's me ya favorite disaster enby coming at you with a mighty fresh chap of your favorite band fic.  
> Sorry it took so long, i am an adult and have also been very lazy lately. This chap comes in around 7500 words though so hopefully it makes up for it a bit.  
> Definitely suggest listening to the song for this chap It fits really well with the vibe I suck at embedding so here's the link https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kQKLhNnPL4o1HCG6m2TNZ?si=zIRnHOTaQxu91JN_c7fodw  
> Also idk if anyone has noticed but I typically hide phrases from the title songs in each chapter so it's kind of like an easter egg.  
> Anyway enjoy, Idk when I'll get the next chapter out but I pretty much have the layout so hopefully it wont be too long.

Four weeks of Friday dinners together was all it took for Nicole and Waverly to slide back into their familiar repertoire of snarky jabs and borderline harsh teasing. They were at each other's throats and Nicole was loving every miserable second of it. They had still not dove back into her issues, but she was hoping they could drag it out as long as possible. She wasn’t quite ready for Waverly to have a total deep dive into her messed up past. 

It was the last Friday before they set out for their summer tour. Waverly still had another week of school left so Nicole agreed to fly her out to California to join them once she was finished. They had a couple shows to play, then once Waverly joined they would spend the next few days shooting the music video at the beach. So, with everyone in a fret to ensure they'd be ready to leave tomorrow, Nicole was able to convince Waverly to do their last dinner with her at the cabin. 

The fact that Nicole was sitting on the floor of her office, working on a new piano rhythm instead of packing was not lost on Waverly when she arrived at the house early and unannounced.

"Wow, it looks like a tornado blew through here." Waverly snarked as she walked through the open door. Waverly had been standing in the doorway, watching Nicole play for more than a few minutes before she decided to make her presence known. She had been caught up in the music and Nicole and hadn’t even realized she was completely and utterly entranced until Nicole stopped playing for a second. She took that as her opportunity to announce herself in possibly the most awkward and obnoxious way possible.

Nicole jumped so high she might have gone through the ceiling if her keyboard wasn't sitting in her lap. "Jesus Christ, Kid. You damn near gave me a heart attack. You trying to kill me before the tour even starts?" Nicole said, still holding her hand to her quickly beating heart. 

Waverly scoffed, rolling her eyes at the startled ginger. "First of all, not a kid. I'll be 21 in like three months. And second, this place is a disaster, Nicole, what are you even doing? I thought the whole point of me coming over was so you could get everything packed up so you can leave in the morning." Waverly folded her arms across her chest, waiting for an answer. 

Nicole never was good at organizing and the day before they left, she was typically in a panic to get everything situated. She had started to pack up her equipment, she really did, but she got a melody in her head and just couldn't get it unstuck until she at least had a rough recording so she didn't forget it. 

Her heart was starting to settle, the initial surprise fading with one look at the pout on the younger woman's face. Was it too early to rile Waverly up? Probably, but Nicole never was one to rely on common sense and better judgment. And Nicole Haught always was a glutton for punishment, especially coming in the form of one beautiful little brunette. 

"Well the thing is, there's this song that some asshole wanted me to write for them and I started thinking about it and then a melody got stuck in my head and I had to get it recorded before I forgot it."

Skeptical, Waverly looked at Nicole through squinted eyes, trying to gauge the truth in her words. She’d be lying if she said the melody hadn’t shook something loose in her heart so she let herself believe that something so beautifully composed was being written just for her. "And the mess? Shouldn't this have all been loaded by now?" She questioned. 

Waverly would never let her be a mess in peace, would she. "Yeah, maybe don't worry about that too much. This hurricane is pretty normal for the day before a tour. Besides, you're like an hour early. I would have for sure had everything packed up if you hadn't been so early." She assured through false confidence. "What are you even doing here so early anyway? I thought you had school stuff or whatever."

Waverly shrugged, finally making her way into the cluttered mess of an office. "I didn't know you played the piano." She said, ignoring the question. She was standing above Nicole now, looking anywhere but at her, very poorly feigning disinterest. 

Nicole scoffed at the audacity, but truthfully, it was really only mildly insulting that Waverly was underestimating her abilities. "I play a lot of instruments Waverly, guitar, piano, drums, sax. I even play a bit of violin, though I'm not very good yet. Also, I feel like I should point out that this here is actually what we musicians refer to as a keyboard. It's like a piano but way cooler. It makes laser sounds, see." She laughed, pressing some of the keys down to make some wacky sounds. Waverly glared, not at all amused at Nicole’s antics, but Nicole just carried on as undeterred as usual. "Seriously though, have you not noticed the piano in some of our tracks? Who did you think was playing it?"

Waverly shrugged "I don't know. I guess I just figured you were just a stupid asshole guitar player. Now I know that you are actually a stupid asshole music nerd." She said, walking over to sit on the mess of Nicole's desk.

Nicole was tapping out an upbeat tune on her keyboard, barely paying Waverly any mind. It was easier to play aloof than admit to the magnetic pull she was starting to feel for the younger woman. "Sorry to disappoint. I guess we can't all be cool as hell rock gods. My fans will not be happy with this development though. How will I ever get laid if my groupies think I'm just a run of the mill asshole music nerd." She joked. 

"I guess you'll just have to live the rest of your days celibate then." The brunette shrugged.

It was Nicole's turn to scoff now. “I hate to break it to you, Waves, but they already know. I basically wrote a god damned supernatural opera for christ’s sake. I'm pretty sure some of them would still want to fuck me even if I played the oboe at this point.”

Waverly looked at Nicole with raised eyebrows. The thought of her sleeping with some random groupies on tour put her heart in a vice grip and she immediately resented Nicole for it. "Nicole?" Her voice was sweet as honey, and the scowl that accompanied it made Nicole smile when their eyes finally met.

"Waverly?" Nicole said with thorough glistening eyes.

"Please just shut up." Waverly deadpanned, trying to get her bearings back. 

Nicole couldn't help it when her smile grew wider as she responded. "Now, now Waves, no need to get jealous. There is plenty of me to go around." Their eyes were locked and Nicole could have sworn she saw actual explosions go off in Waverly's when she lit the fuse. She really did need to stop poking the bear. And Waverly may have been a tiny, cute, adorable bear, but was still a bear nonetheless.

"I am not jealous!" Waverly shouted, making Nicole jump slightly. She'd need to get that under control. Her heart had been a mess around the younger woman the past few weeks and she wasn’t quite sure why. "It's just super gross that you sleep with any woman that'll give you the time of day, is all."

This girl really assumed Nicole was still playing fast and loose, despite everything she’d said and done to the contrary over the last month. The God damn audacity! "Yeah okay Waverly, you act like I'm fucking a different chick every day." She scoffed

"Aren't you?" Waverly challenged.

"Seriously?" Nicole huffed in disbelief. It was almost funny how their friendly teasing could sour so quickly. One second, it was all fun and games and the next they were actually ready to rip each other’s heads off. "I've been so busy with the record and getting ready for the tour, I haven’t even slept with anyone since Eliza weeks ago. And before that, it was Eliza after we got home from our previous tour like eight months ago. I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t hook up with anyone on the road, but it’s definitely not the god damn fuck fest you’re making it out to be. Also, I don't even sleep with groupies, it's weird and honestly feels like an abuse of power."

Waverly looked at her with a furrowed brow, she wasn’t sure where to go from there. She had been so sure Nicole was still the same reckless disaster she knew as a kid, but everything she was saying was contradicting that. "But in high school you were always with someone new." She tried to reason mostly to herself.

Disbelief blanketed Nicole's features. "Waverly I was a stupid messed up kid. I didn't even care enough about myself to give a shit who I was sharing my body with. Why are you grilling me anyway? It's not like we're dating. I can sleep with whomever I want… as long as they want it to." She added as an afterthought.

"Fine." Waverly huffed, she really had no other argument. She was out of line and knew it, and really just hoped her embarrassment would end with the conversation.

"Fine." Nicole pushed out through gritted teeth. They were glaring at each other from opposite sides of the room, Waverly perched on the edge of the desk, Nicole planted cross legged on the carpeted floor. "Are you going to be this much fun the entire tour?" Nicole spat. And she just really had to add that didn’t she.

Waverly scowled, her normally bright eyes turned dark with unbridled rage. "If you don't like it, you can just call Eliza. I'm sure you'll have a better time with her anyway." She had a death grip on the desk now, her knuckles turning white under the pressure as she glared harshly at the redhead. 

Nicole sighed. Why did Waverly insist on making everything more complicated than need be. She had already explained the Eliza situation a few times, but for some reason, Waverly always tumbled back to Nicole’s sex life. "Waverly, if I wanted Eliza or anyone else here, they would be. Please stop acting crazy so we can enjoy one last meal before I leave." And, it was at that point that everything fell apart. Now, Nicole Haught knew better than to call a woman crazy, but sometimes your brain and your mouth don’t communicate like they should and things, whether good or bad, slip through the cracks. She watched in slow motion as the next few seconds unfolded. Waverly’s eyes grew three sizes and the fire burned hotter than she'd ever seen. "I am not crazy!" She shouted, flying from the desk and advancing on Nicole.

Nicole didn't even have the decency to flinch, she just sat there, staring easily into stormy green pools. "I didn't say you were crazy, I said stop acting like it." Nicole shrugged, undeterred by the new proximity. She was digging herself deeper and there was nothing she could do to stop herself. 

Waverly was hovering over her trying her best to look intimidating despite her small frame. "I'm leaving!" She said with a suddenness that took Nicole by surprise. Waverly hadn't even been there 10 minutes before their conversation deteriorated into the disaster it had become. She stormed out of Nicole's office and into the living room, the redhead hot on her trail.

"What? Why? Wait, you can't leave. We haven't even eaten dinner yet. I have a whole pan of vegan lasagna in the oven." Nicole tried to reason. Was that really the best she had? The only reason to get Waverly to stay was the promise of god damned lasagna. 

Waverly stopped and turned so abruptly Nicole nearly crashed right into her. "Are you freaking kidding me? Nicole, you literally just called me crazy and now you expect me to sit down and eat dinner with you like we're friends." She spat. They were close now, too close. Waverly’s sandals nearly stepping on Nicole's bare toes.

Nicole felt like she had just been hit by a freight train. After all these weeks, she thought maybe Waverly considered her at least a friend again, but the stark reality that they were barely hanging onto acquaintances was a slap to the face. Nicole should have just swallowed her pride and apologized then and there, but her heart hurt at the realization. And they were mere inches apart now and Waverly’s perfume was intoxicatingly sweet and was making her head spin. She stumbled through her next set of thoughts and hoped by the grace of God that she could regain control of the situation. 

"I uh I didn't" Nicole's face went through a whole series of emotions in the matter of seconds, regret and sadness shining through it all. She was being a jerk, whether involuntary or not and needed to make it right again. "Waverly wait I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. We’re not enemies, please don't treat me like one." She pleaded through misty eyes.

Waverly sighed heavily, she was so perplexed by her feelings for Nicole. One second she was so excruciatingly irritating she wanted to slap her in the face and the next was turning Wavelry into a short circuiting mess. What do you do when the person you’ve despised most in this world is also the person that makes your bones turn to jelly every time they so much as smile at you? She needed a minute to get her thoughts in order, without the fire Nicole had set to her. "No Nicole, I'm leaving, you have exceeded my expectations and have once again royally pissed me off." She tried, hoping to not come across as flustered as she was.

Nicole stood wide eyed and pleading, thinking she had completely ruined anything they had built up until this point. "You're still coming on tour though right?"

Waverly scoffed at the question and Nicole's heart stopped in her chest. "I signed a contract, didn't I?" Of course she was still going. It was a free vacation after all.

"Ye- yeah." Nicole sputtered out, through growing confusion, maybe Waverly wasn’t that upset. Her contract did say she could leave the tour at any point if she felt like it wasn’t working.

"Okay then, I'll be there. Just… be better Nic, we can't keep doing this." Waverly sighed. She knew Nicole wasn't the only one at fault here, but it was easier to blame her than it was to take some responsibility and resign herself to the reason she exploded in the first place. Her crush on the older woman was only growing even with her utter denial about having feelings for the person who crushed her fragile little heart as a kid.

Instant relief flooded through Nicole, at least she didn't completely screw everything up. If Waverly wanted better, she would be better. It's not like she hadn't been trying. For years her only goal was to be a better person than her father before her, but every time she was in the presence of the younger woman, she seemed to forget that and made an ass of herself. "I will Waverly, I promise. If it matters any, I'm sorry everything blew up. I just wanted to have a nice dinner before we left. Life on the road isn't as glamorous as it seems. It's mostly fast food, take out and cramped quarters and Wynonna farts in her sleep and stinks up the whole bus." She said with a sad laugh. 

Waverly let out an annoyed sigh, her resolve was crumbling with every passing second. Since starting their Friday dinners, Nicole had been sweet and charming and very much not an asshole, despite Waverly’s best efforts to make her seem like one. In fact, it seemed like she had been the only real asshole in the situation, her short fuse and prickly attitude only exuberating their bickering. "Fine, Nicole." She said with a huff.

Nicole's head ticked to the side like a confused puppy. "What do you mean fine?" She asked hesitantly. 

"I mean we might as well eat, you did make food and I would hate for it to go to waste."

Nicole's smile lit up the room and Waverly swooned just a little more. "Seriously?"

Though a little half smile, Waverly spoke. "Yeah, seriously. Now hurry up and feed me before I change my mind.” Surprise washed over her as a muscular but excruciatingly soft body collided with her own in an excited embrace. Nicole had pulled her into a bone crushing hug and Waverly could do nothing but laugh at her excitement. Maybe this woman really was just a puppy after all.

The hug lasted all of two seconds before Nicole pulled back, seemingly startled by her own actions. "Oh, God, I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" she stuttered, releasing her grip on the younger woman and taking a heaping step back.

Waverly tried to laugh it off, like her entire body hadn't just been set aflame, but the noise that came out instead, was strangled and awkward. "It's, it's okay. Can we just eat?"

Nicole gave her a pained smile. “Well the thing is, you weren’t supposed to be here for like another hour, so I may or may not have just put it in the oven like 15 minutes ago.” Waverly’s stomach grumbled and Nicole cringed at the sound. She really couldn’t catch a break.

Waverly’s body trembled and Nicole prepared herself for the worst. Instead, an almost hysterical laugh erupted from her small body. The look of confusion may have been permanently stuck on Nicole’s face at this point. “Waverly?” 

Waverly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself before she spoke. She almost felt bad for the older girl, it was almost as if the world was out to get her. “Man, you really can’t catch a break for the life of you, huh?” She teased, giving her shoulder a gentle shove. 

Nicole looked down with an embarrassed huff, aggressively toeing the hardwood floor with her bare foot. “Tis just the lot I have scored in life youngling” she sighed. “I’ve been dealing with a constant stream of bullshit since the day I was born, don’t really see that changing anytime soon. Just have to deal with the lot I’ve been handed I guess.”

“Did you just call me youngling?” Waverly asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yup, sure did.” Nicole laughed. She was not only a music nerd, but also a Star Wars nerd, you see.

“Nerd.”

“I mean, I think the whole world already knows that. I write concept albums and even released a god damned series of graphic novels to accompany them for Christ's sake.” 

“How you have ever got laid will continue to amaze me, Nerd.” Waverly said, words laced with pity.

“Thank God I’m just incredibly attractive and talented, if I wasn’t, I’d for sure still be a virgin.” Nicole said, leaning back into Waverly’s space just a little more, overloading her senses with a hint of vanilla. Why the hell did she always smell like her favorite vanilla dipped donuts? Waverly’s breath hitched and her voice caught in her throat, any response she had getting stuck with it. A long finger then reached out and poked the brunette smack dab in the middle of her forehead, before turning on her heels and making a break for her office again with her hands buried deep in the pockets of her adorable unicorn sweatpants. “Come on, Kid. You can help me load the trailer while we wait.” She yelled from down the hall.

Waverly’s entire body rippled from the poke to the head. “Thank god indeed.” She said to herself with a shake of the head while she followed the ginger puppy back to the music room.

***

With everything packed up and ready to go, Nicole and Waverly were finally able to sit down and enjoy their dinner. “So we got a few shows across Canada before we head down into the states" Nicole started. "Then we’ll hit Seattle, and Portland before stopping in San Francisco for five days to get the music video done. The shoot is actually only scheduled for two days, but we also have one small show scheduled before we head out again. The rest of the time we’re there, you’re free to spend your time however you’d like.” Nicole was going over the final details of their tour schedule as they ate their dinner at the kitchen table. Dolls their manager emailed Waverly the full tour itinerary last night so Nicole was just touching base to make sure there was no confusion. “There are only three songs on our set list that you’ll be singing on, the last of which being Jump the Cliff. Depending on how well you’re received, we may add one more song to the mix as well.”

“Jump the Cliff?” Waverly questioned. She didn’t remember recording that nor was it a song from their previous record that she definitely had not been listening to on repeat since the day in the studio.

Nicole laughed a little at Waverly’s confusion. She decided to change the name of the song from Firefight to Jump the Cliff after they recorded it as a duet. The addition of Waverly had changed the song so drastically, Nicole knew the old title no longer fit. “Yeah, our duet. I changed the name a few weeks ago. Firefight just didn’t seem fitting anymore I guess.” She shrugged.

“Oh.” Waverly pipped. "Cool" she said, trying to sound aloof.

“Anyways," Nicole laughed, "you’ll fly out to San Fran the day before the video shoot and Dolls or someone will pick you up and take you to the hotel that we’ll be staying at for the week. Now, I should warn you, it’s nothing fancy, but you’ll at least have a room to yourself away from us stupid idiots.” True to her word, Nicole had secured the necessary accommodations so Waverly would always have a bed to sleep in. And by 'secured', she had bribed Wynonna and Rosita to let her bunk with them on the pull out couch in their room. Sure her back was probably going to be destroyed after a couple nights, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t dealt with before and wouldn't have to deal with again. Besides, it was worth it if it meant Waverly was going to be with her every step of the way.

Waverly nodded her head as she swallowed down a bite of her food. “Sounds good, Nicole. Have you any more details on the video shoot? All I know is it’s going to be on the beach.” She asked. Waverly’s excitement had been steadily building over the past few weeks. She had barely traveled outside of Calgary so a cross country tour of the states was way out of her wheelhouse.

Nicole grinned at her. She knew Waverly was curious. She had been asking questions about the shoot for weeks but Nicole had been very tight lipped about the whole thing in fear that if the younger girl knew the full details, she would try and back out. “Now that there is classified information Little Waves. If I told you, I’d have to kill you. Then who's pretty little face would scowl at me just for the hell of it?” Nicole joked.

Waverly blushed a little and involuntarily scowled at the redhead further proving her point and earning a cheeky smile in return. “It’s just your face Nicole, I just can’t help it. Every time I look at you, I kind of want to slap you in the face, so I’d take the scowl if I were you.” She shot back.

Cocky grin on her face, Nicole laughed. “Careful there Waves, if you slap me, I might actually like it.”

Waverly’s face scrunched up in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “Oh shut up Nicole or I might actually do it. And I swear if I do, I’m going to slap you so hard you won’t remember your first name.”

Nicole licked her lips with a grin. “Is that a threat?” She challenged, staring down the brunette.

“No, it’s a promise.” The younger woman said with finality, fire burning hot in her dark hazel eyes.

Nicole swallowed thickly, why was Waverly making her blood boil right now? She wasn’t angry, just excited maybe with Waverly’s taunting and borderline dare she say flirting. “Prove it.” She said with a smirk. The two sat in silence staring and waiting for the other to make the next move. The air was thick with electricity and Nicole felt like she was finally getting through to the younger woman. This awkward game of back and forth was seemingly starting to pay off.

Eyebrow quirked in challenge, Waverly opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted before she could get any sounds out by the front door flying open to make way for an extremely drunk Wynonna and Rosita. “Yo, Haught Sauce, where are you Fucker!” Wynonna yelled from the front door.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Nicole shouted back at the older Earp. “In the kitchen with your sister you asshat so shut the fuck up and stop yelling.” She really did love her best friend, but she had some of the worst timing in the world. “And I guess that is the end of this week’s date.” Nicole mumbled. 

“Not a date.” Waverly quickly corrected. 

“Oh sure it is Waves. You got two people, food and a decent convo. It’s a date whether you think so or not.” Nicole argued with her carefree attitude. 

"Oi, what are you two losers doing and why was I not invited?" Wynonna asked, stumbling into the kitchen Rosita hot on her hills. She practically fell into a kitchen chair and proceeded to serve herself a heaping pile of lasagna. 

"Obviously we're having our weekly dinner date, Earp.” Nicole said, irritation bleeding through her voice.

“Not a date!” Waverly interrupted, because she really needed everyone to be aware that this was very much not a date.

Nicole frowned at the younger woman briefly before continuing. “Which I told you about before you two left on your date, which you are still supposed to be on by the way. Why the hell are you back so early it's only like seven and why are you so shitfaced? You know we have to be on the road by five.” Nicole rubbed her temples roughly, trying to figure out why she called this woman her best friend, while Wynonna and Rosita poorly explained what led them to this point in time.

Apparently, a couple of guys at the bar were trying to pick them up by buying them round after round of tequila shots. The guys never had a chance, but it wasn’t until the entire bar heard her and Rosita fuck in the bathroom that shit really hit the fan. Realizing that they just wasted a couple hundred bucks on a lost cause, their new friends went a little crazy and a full on bar fight almost broke out. Shorty kicked them all out for the night, yelling at the two of them not to come back until after their tour was over. “So now we’re home and starving since we sorta got too drunk to remember to eat.” Wynonna said through a mouthful of lasagna.

“Sorry Nic, we’ll just take some food upstairs and leave you two little love birds to it.” Rosita apologized, grabbing her plate with one hand and Wynonna with the other, leading them upstairs in a whirlwind. 

Nicole watched them go, hoping and praying that she would not be cleaning lasagna and puke off the walls and floors tonight. “Sorry about them, Waverly. They weren’t supposed to come back for a few more hours.” She sighed heavily, smiling sheepishly at a very tense and flushed looking Waverly. 

Waverly stared down at her plate, pushing the maybe one bite left of her food around aimlessly with her fork. “It’s fine. I’m pretty much done anyway.”

Having finished her meal right as the maybe flirting started, Nicole figured Waverly was probably trying to use that as her cue to leave. She on the other hand, was not quite ready to end whatever was currently happening between them. She knew she wouldn’t see or really even talk to Waverly for the next week and wanted to make the most of their time today. “Do you maybe want to stay and watch some Netflix or something? It’s kind of lonely here in this big old house sometimes.” The offer hung heavy in the air as Nicole hopefully awaited Waverly’s response. As their time together increased, the redhead had really started to enjoy the time spent together. Yeah Waverly was a pain in her ass most of the time, but she had a big heart and a kindness reserved for pretty much anyone but her. She knew if she could even get just a taste of the goodness Waverly carried around, she was sure she’d be able to live the rest of her days on it.

Waverly’s brow furrowed, she was caught in a conundrum you see. She wanted so badly to spend time with Nicole that her body trembled as she fought against her very will. “I should really be getting home Nicole. Plus you have to be up super early tomorrow.” She tried to reason.

Nicole smiled at her softly, causing a light blush to dust across Waverly’s cheeks, she was slowly but surely chipping away at her walls. “I have vegan ice cream.” She tried with a hopeful smile.

Despite Waverly’s attempts not to, a small smile crept it’s way on her face and she knew she had lost the battle. “I do like ice cream.” 

“Cool.” Nicole said through a megawatt smile. “Let me just clean this up and I’ll meet you in the living room in a few. Oh and if you want to put something more comfy on, go into my room and grab some sweats from the bottom left drawer. You can grab a shirt out the closet if you want too.” She offered.

Waverly excused herself from the table and made her way to Nicole’s room. She’d need to compose herself a little before she steeled herself to deal with a couple more hours of this ever growing crush anyway. She set her phone down on the dresser, looking herself over in the mirror. Her face seemed to take on a permanent blush in Nicole’s presence, but there was no way in hell she was ever giving into this childhood obsession, turned new adult crush if she had any say in it. Even if Nicole was turning out to be cute, and charming and undeniably sweet. Maybe they could be friends though. It was starting to get exhausting holding on to all her anger, maybe she could reel it in a bit and see where that led them. 

She grumbled to herself as she begrudgingly pulled out a pair of forest green sweatpants from Nicole’s bottom drawer. They were obviously too large, but a few rolls to the waist and ankles and they fit well enough. Waverly helped herself to Nicole’s closet next, rifling around until she found the perfect shirt. She held it up with a smirk before throwing her own button up off and replacing it with the threadbear fabric of Nicole’s old Rush shirt. On Nicole, the shirt was bordering on being a crop top, but on Waverly’s smaller frame, it rested just below her belly button. The sweats hung low on her waist leaving only a sliver of skin between them and the shortened hem of the shirt. She admired herself in the mirror and let out a cocky laugh. She looked dang cute and maybe this would put Nicole on her heels for once.

Her phone vibrated harshly against the counter, startling her from her thoughts.

Chrissy: How’s the date with Haughty? U kiss N make up yet?

Waverly went red with the text and nearly choked on her own tongue. Chrissy had always suspected her childhood crush on the redhead and with the recent developments, had been more than persistent in trying to get her to come clean with her feelings. Waverly sighed, typing out a snarky response instead.

Waverly: Ew, shut up. Nicole and I can barely even be in the same room together for more than 30 minutes without trying to murder each other.

Waverly: Also not a date. Everyone really needs to stop calling them that! 

Chrissy: that’s not a NO! Just kiss her and get it out of your system. You’ll feel better i promise.

Waverly: im not doing that. goodbye chrissy.

She shoved her phone back into the pocket of her sweats and headed back into the living room. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Nicole’s long lean body spread comfortably across the sectional with a huge bowl of ice cream sitting on her stomach. Her head rested against one arm of the couch, one long leg stretched out across it, the other dangling off the side as she scrolled through the documentary section of Netflix before finally stopping on something interesting. Waverly stared at the screen for a second. It wasn’t a documentary she stopped on after all, it was a travel show seemingly about San Francisco tourist destinations. 

Waverly watched Nicole in silence as the redhead smiled like a kid in a candy store and took a huge spoonful of ice cream. Some dropped on her chin with the bite and Waverly’s mouth went dry at the sight of a pink tongue snaking out to lick it up before wiping the rest off with the back of her hand.

“You gonna stand there all night or are you actually going to come have some ice cream with me?” Nicole asked, not even bothering to look up from her spot on the couch. Having been caught staring, Waverly went red all over again. She walked over and Nicole clumsily sat up to make room for her, laughing quietly when Waverly sat down on the side of the sofa furthest from her. “Waves, you’re going to have to come closer if you want some ice cream, I only got one bowl. Less dishes that way. I ain’t gonna get you, I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise no funny business.”

Waverly sighed exaggeratedly, “Fine just don’t make it weird.” She said with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"I would never!" Nicole huffed through feigned offense as Waverly moved to the cushion closest to her while still maintaining some distance. “You just had to grab my favorite shirt didn’t you?” Nicole asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Waverly looked down at the shirt with a grin. She had known it was one of her favorites with how frequently she wore it over the past few weeks, but did not realize it was her actual favorite. “You shouldn't have told me to grab whatever I like if you didn’t want me wearing it.” Waverly shrugged.

Nicole shook her head with a smile. “I never said that. It's cool though, it looks better on you anyway. Keep it safe for me will you?” Something about seeing Waverly grinning and happily relaxing in her favorite shirt made her heart swell. She could have the damn thing if it made her that happy. 

“No promises. You know I like to live dangerously.” Waverly joked.

Nicole snorted at the insinuation that straight edge Waverly would live with even the slightest bit of danger. “Yeah okay. And I was a well behaved kid and definitely not a delinquent teen growing up.” Nicole laughed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

“You weren’t all bad you know?” Waverly said so soft Nicole almost missed it. She had always had a soft spot for the redhead and it took years of abandonment before she let the reality that Nicole did not care about her enough to stick around wash over her in a cold and icy wave. “You may have been a shit most of the time, but my best memories of you are when you were being good. Like when you tried to save that cat from the tree your sophomore year and ended up falling out and breaking an arm.” Waverly laughed.

Nicole did not. The memory coursed through her like poison, coagulating her blood thick and sticky in her veins. She did fall out of the tree that year, but that wasn’t how she broke her arm. She had come home late and beat up from the fall and her father met her in an alcohol fueled rage. He tried to hit her in the ribs with a baseball bat, but she narrowly avoided it, catching her arm in the process. She told everyone but Wynonna it was from the fall and once again the questions didn’t dig any deeper. She felt like she owed it to the younger girl to start coming clean with some of this though. Waverly deserved that at least. “I didn’t actually break my arm in the fall, Waverly.” she admitted quietly, as if ashamed of the real reason, though it was no fault of her own.

Waverly scrunched her brow in confusion. “What? Yes you did. I remember watching you fall from the tree and the following Monday you came back with a cast on. I felt so bad because I was the one that insisted on saving the little fluff ball.”

Nicole bit her lip harshly trying to determine exactly how much she should tell Waverly. “I’m not sure how much you remember from back then, but I was always beat up in those days.”

“Yeah cause you and Nonna rough housed a ton and were alway getting into fights.” Waverly reasoned, though Nicole wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince at this point.

She rubbed her neck roughly, fisting the hair at the base of her skull tightly until she could feel the blood pumping in her fingertips. “That’s not why I was always busted up, Kid. Ever notice that I was pretty much the only one with black eyes and random bruises?” She asked, trying to get Waverly to pick up the pieces on her own.

Waverly just looked on in confusion. “I just figured you were a shit fighter honestly.” She tried to explain away the dreaded thought burrowing into her brain.

Nicole laughed a little at the admission. “I mean I wasn’t the best fighter ever, I’ll give you that.” Waverly stared at her, a confused expression on her face. Nicole could see the cogs turning as Waverly worked through all the possible scenarios. 

Suddenly the lightbulb went off and Waverly’s face steeled. “Nicole, how did you break your arm then?” She asked quietly, not sure if she even wanted to know the answer. 

Nicole swallowed hard, her voice sticky in her throat. Despite her own reservations, Waverly deserved to know. “My dad, he tried to hit me in the ribs with a baseball bat since he thought I lost a fight that night. I tried to dodge it and he caught my arm instead.” 

Waverly stared at her silently, she had to be joking right? The tears at the corners of Nicole's eyes said differently though. 

"It was stupid really. I should have known not to go home that night, but I was tired and sore and really needed a shower." Nicole said with a heavy heart. 

After all this time the pieces of Nicole's life were starting to fall into place and things were finally starting to make sense in Waverly's silly little head. "Why didn't you tell me? Maybe I could have done something." She asked, her voice all but a whisper. 

Nicole laughed a strangled little thing. It was sweet really, Waverly’s need to help and understand. But really, what could a child have done when the people that were supposed to protect her had already failed in spectacular fashion. "You were just a kid Waves, I think you were only like 11 or 12, what were you going to do other than worry?"

Waverly had pulled her knees up to her chest while her mind flashed back to every single time Nicole came around with a black eye or busted lip. Thinking back, she couldn't remember a time Nicole wasn't consistently bruised or beaten up. She should have noticed, but like Nicole had said, she couldn't have done much other than worry anyway. "I'm sorry Nicole." She mumbled into the fabric of her sweats. 

Nicole smiled softly, brushed a stray hair back behind Waverly’s ear, tilting her head so she was staring intensely into teary hazel eyes. "I know, Kid. Me too."

The softness of Nicole's fingertips took Waverly surprise and she leaned into the touch against her very will. She gazed intently back into honey brown eyes, wondering what else she had been so naive to in her youth. Nicole was full of secrets and one by one, Waverly would carefully pull them out of her.

Nicole pulled her hand away, the loss of warmth on the brunette's cheek instant. "I promise I'll tell you everything eventually, but I think that's enough for tonight. I don't need you finding out all my deepest darkest secrets in one night. I need to keep some sense of mystery. How else will I keep you coming around? " She laughed halfheartedly, relaxing back into the corner of the couch with her bowl of ice cream. 

Normally, a snarky jab would have pushed its way through Waverly's lips, but looking into the still watery eyes of the older woman, her only thought was, what the hell else had happened to make her run and hide from everything she ever knew for all these years. And maybe they were never even enemies after all. Maybe, Nicole was just a screwed up kid that did what she thought she needed to to protect herself. "Alright, but don't think just because you told me this, you're suddenly back in my good graces. We've still got a long way to go, Nicole."

"I know, but for now can we just enjoy the last calm night before shit hits the fan?" Nicole smiled weakly. She'd dropped more than enough emotional baggage for the time being and was ready to get back to reminding herself she wasn't a helpless kid anymore.

"Yeah I think I'd like that." The admission slipped out, the only reason she even realized what she had said was the giant dimpled grin on Nicole's face.

"Do my ears deceive me, or did little Waverly Earp just admit to enjoying spending time with me?" She asked, her shiteating grin only growing wider.

“Uggh. Just shut up and pass me the ice cream already.” Waverly groaned, a poorly hidden smile on her face as she snatched the bowl from Nicole’s grasp.

“Hey!” Nicole cried, sitting up into Waverly’s space in a weak attempt to get it back. 

Waverly pushed her back with a hand to the chest, laughing as she took a large enough bite to ensure the brain freeze she felt almost instantly. “Nooo!” She whined, swallowing quickly while rubbing her forehead to try and relieve the sudden discomfort.

“Heh, that’s what you get for trying to hoover that down like a damn animal.” Nicole laughed, poking Waverly in the head again and snatching her bowl back with a satisfied smile. The progress she was making with the younger Earp was still slow going, but it warmed her body to the core knowing just maybe Waverly didn’t really hate her as much as she once thought.

“God, you really are the worst!” Waverly grumbled, her body red from her toes to the tips of her ears. Whether she was ready or not, Nicole was breaking down her walls a little more every second they spent together.

“Oh don’t act like you don’t love it, ya old grouch.” Nicole teased, sloppily licking the dessert from her face and starting the travel show she had picked for them. “By the way,” Nicole smirked, “you look mighty cute in my favorite shirt, Waves. Make sure you bring it back to me in one piece.” 

Waverly’s jaw dropped, her emotions spilling through like water through a cracked dam. She had a response, she really did, but Nicole smiled at her through a mouth full of vegan strawberry ice cream and her brain went kaput for the damn golden retriever in front of her. Nicole made her blood boil, and her heart flutter all at the same time and for not the first time in the past few weeks, she wondered how the hell she was expected to get through the next two and a half months in extremely close quarters with this woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow my nonsense on the tweeters if you really want a peek into my brain. @actuallysoftaf


	5. Blood Red Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly heads to Beautiful San Francisco!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this? a new Chap so soon? yeah well that's what happens when you're 3 sessions deep into a full tattoo sleeve and your arm has been too sore to do pretty much anything else. Anyway hope you enjoy.  
> Here's the [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kQKLhNnPL4o1HCG6m2TNZ?si=tUvc9LFPT96Sksu_1Av9xA) this week we are graced with Blood Red Summer. It was the second song I ever heard of the band over 13 years ago now and is partially to blame for my ever growing obsession.

Nicole awoke in the early morning hours with a kink in her neck, lavender invading her senses, and a pleasant warmth weighing lightly on her chest. Eyes still closed, she inhaled deeply, grinning when long, silky hair tickled her nose. Wait what!? Her eyes shot open, confused and wild, taking in the sight of Waverly Earp sleeping comfortably on her chest, the small blanket from the back of the couch draped snugly around them. And maybe the thought should have never crossed her mind, but for a split second, she let herself think just how perfect this moment felt and what she would give to have more of the stolen moments with the younger woman. Waverly grumbled a soft little thing and nuzzled her face even deeper into the crook of her neck, seemingly oblivious to their current state of being. In a millisecond, Nicole's entire body went from complete and utter relaxation, to so tense a single movement from Waverly may have snapped her right in two. Nicole dared not move and she dared not breathe in fear of waking the ticking time bomb that had settled comfortably on top of her.

What time was it? Maybe she could pretend to be asleep and hope Waverly would wake up and put some distance between them. She stretched slightly, trying to reach for her phone on the coffee table without disturbing the brunette currently making herself at home on her chest. That's when she heard it, the loud thud from upstairs indicating her bandmates, best friends and current bane of her existence were awake and rustling around in their room. She cringed at the sound, her head tilted forward, mid reach. Waverly shot up the instant the sound penetrated her brain, catching Nicole in the nose in the process.

"Shit!"

"Fuck!" they cried simultaneously. Nicole grasping her nose tightly as blood started to drip down slowly. 

“What the hell, Nicole!” Waverly shouted, shuffling as far away from the redhead as possible.

Nicole gawked at her, eyes wide, features dripping with confusion and irritation. “What?! You’re the one that was sleeping on me and you’re not the one currently bleeding out from a fucking headbutt to the face!” She yelled, maybe a little too harshly. 

Waverly was thoroughly confused to say the least. The past few moments had happened so quickly, she still wasn’t quite sure what was even going on. “Maybe if you weren’t so close to my face, I wouldn’t have headbutted you!” She shouted back.

Nicole shuffled, untangling herself from the blankets to stand from the couch, looking for something to use to get cleaned up before giving up and just settling on the very old Purgatory Band shirt she was wearing. “Waverly, I’m going to say this one more time so it hopefully penetrates that thick skull of yours, because I know you are too damn smart to be this clueless. You. Were. Asleep. On. My. Chest.” She said sternly as she dabbed her nose with the bottom of the t-shirt.

Eyes finally looking clear again, Waverly grimaced at the sorry state of her former maybe still kind of arch enemy. “Shit.” She said, looking at Nicole with pitiful eyes.

Nicole scoffed at her halfheartedly, her face hurt and she swore she could feel the blood pumping thickly from her heart to her nose. It was probably just bruised, but she couldn’t imagine how off pitch she would be if she tried singing with a broken nose. “Yeah, shit.” she agreed, trying her very best to keep the smile off her lips. Even though her face throbbed from the pain, she could never find it in herself to stay mad when Waverly furrowed her eyebrows and pouted that lower lip.

Wavelry was sitting stiffly across from her, legs pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped snugly around them, substantially colder without the human radiator that was Nicole Huaght keeping her warm. "Sorry." She mumbled, barely audible, into the fabric of her borrowed sweats.

Nicole cocked a curious eyebrow, trying her best to hide the smirk that crept across her lips. The bleeding from her nose slowed to a lazy drip, she quipped. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. One more time so these damaged ears can actually hear it." 

"Imsorryiheadbuttedyouintheface!" She mumbled out louder and quicker this time, her whole body going crimson in the process.

Nicole smiled at her with that signature shit eating grin. "Well, well, well, do these busted up ears deceive me or did little Waverly Earp just apologize to me? Hell must've froze over."

Waverly scowled her own signature scowl and grumbled from her curled up position. "Don't get used to it." She tried to hide her embarrassment, but Nicole had the hem of her shirt pulled up to her nose, exposing a sliver of muscular abs and something about the blood smeared across the creamy ivory skin of her face was making her feel some sort of way.

Nicole was more than a little amused at Waverly’s flushed state. She looked so dang cute in her old Rush shirt, huddled up on the other side of the couch. Her hair was a hot mess and she still had a smudge of drool stuck to her cheek. Nicole's heart flipped in her chest when she shot another little glare at her. That was… weird. She had noticed the little heart skips and stomach flutters getting more frequent around the brunette, but hadn't really thought too much of it until that point. It was probably just the excitement of the last few minutes making her feel all funky and she was sure it would pass soon enough. 

She didn't have time to dwell on it though because Rosita came sulking down the stairs, looking probably as hung over as she felt. "Haught, Waverly?" She grumbled upon seeing the duo. "Huh, so she finally hit you in the face. What'd you do to deserve that one?" She asked, gesturing to Nicole’s busted nose. The bleeding had stopped, but she still had a smear of red across her nose and cheek.

"Yeah Waverly, what did I do to deserve this?" She asked with her ever present smugness.

Waverly only scowled in response.

Nicole sighed, as cute as Waverly was, it was exhausting to keep up the constant back and forth "It was an accident, Rosie. We fell asleep on the couch and your ruckus scared her awake. Please just drop it."

Rosita raised a curious eyebrow at the two, before shrugging and heading into the kitchen to start the coffee. Questioning the weirdness that had been occurring between the two really wasn't worth her time nor what little energy she had right now. “Fine Haught, but you best start getting ready, the bus will be here in 30.” she said on her way out.

“Fuck.” Nicole said with a sigh. As much as she was loving this weird morning with Waverly, she knew she had to get ready to go. “I got to go shower. I’ll be right back.” She said, excusing herself, in hopes that the frazzled brunette would still be there when she returned. 

Nicole thought a lot about the current state of her life as the almost too hot water cascaded over her already warm skin. Her feelings for the younger woman were starting to blur the line between friendship and crush and she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Sure Waverly was snarky and smart and undeniably beautiful, but she was still her best friend’s little sister and Nicole wasn’t entirely sure she was willing to cross that line. Not that Waverly would have wanted that anyway, but still the thought lingered quietly in the back of her mind, only managing to confuse her even more.

***

Much to Nicole’s surprise, Wavelry was still in her home when she strutted back downstairs 20 minutes later, hair still wet and skin still glistening from her post shower sheen. Their eyes caught briefly and Nicole smiled at her, but Waverly was quick to look away and into her coffee on the kitchen table. She was blushing again and Nicole was beginning to wonder if that was just her regular complexion at that point.

“I uh, have an uber coming for me, but they probably won’t be here until you guys head out.” Waverly said, dropping her shoulders some.

“Oh it’s cool, you could just sleep here a few more hours if you were tired. It ain’t no big deal. I just washed my sheets like two days ago, you’re more than welcome to curl up in them if you want.” Nicole suggested, taking a much too large gulp of her coffee and burning her mouth in the process. Nicole hissed as the scorching hot liquid burned a path from her mouth, down her throat and finally settled in her stomach. 

As if on cue, Waverly snickered at the older woman’s pain. “It’s hot, nerd.” Wavelry said with a shady smirk. 

It really was ironic that she, the rock star, was still being called a nerd by Waverly the actual straight A and straight edge real nerd. “Yeah I kind of got that on account of my burnt mouth, jerk.” Nicole scoffed. They could have carried on like that all day, but the tour bus honked loud and obnoxious in the serene quiet of the woods that surrounded the cabin, indicating their time was up. “I guess that’s us then.” Nicole sighed, a strong reluctance to leave the brunette for the next week chafing her fragile heart.

At the sound of the horn, Wynonna and Rosita stumbled back into the kitchen with a couple of the largest suitcases Waverly had ever seen. “Get your shit, Haught, time to go. If I have to hear that horn one more time, I will literally bust your nose open again.” Wynonna exclaimed, stopping to pull her sister into a bone crushing hug. “Check ya later, Baby Girl. Be good. See you in a week. Love ya.” Wynonna finished, placing a sloppy kiss to her head.

“See you next week Waves!” Rosita chimed as the girlfriends headed out to the bus.

“Love you too. And please for the love of god stay out of trouble.” She shouted back as they made their way out of the house and headed for the place they would call home for the next four months.

Once Wynonna and Rosita were out of sight, Nicole and Waverly stared at each other for a hot second before Nicole grabbed the oversized duffle bag that held all her belongings for the entirety of the tour and slung it over her shoulder with a grunt. “Well, I guess I best get going. Catch you on the other side, Kid.” She winked as she made her way out the door leaving Waverly speechless and flustered in her wake.

Waverly stood on the front porch, smiling and waving like a dork as the bus drove off in a cloud of dust. She let out an exaggerated yawn and pulled out her phone to cancel her uber. The sun was barely rising on the horizon and she was very sleepy after all. A few more hours sleeping in the splendor of warm vanilla softness wouldn’t hurt anything, she thought as she made her way back inside and tucked herself into the comforts of Nicole’s bed and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

***

Waverly Earp had never been so much as a hundred miles away from her hometown of Purgatory in her almost 21 years of life, so boarding the plane to travel a thousand miles away from home all on her own, definitely left her out of her comfort zone. Unbeknownst to her, Nicole had taken the liberty of upgrading her ticket to first class, shooting her a text as she boarded informing her to not get used to it. She was hardly a starving artist anymore, but she was also not rich by any means and she really did have no idea how long this rollercoaster of success could last.

Waverly arrived in San Francisco in the late afternoon hours of the following Saturday. The sun had just barely started to set on the horizon creating a blood red glow in the sky. Excitement started to bubble out when she caught a glimpse of the ocean and bay on their descent. It went on forever and was larger than anything she had ever seen and made her feel both bigger and smaller than she’d ever felt at the same time.

The plane landed smoothly, despite Waverly’s anxiety, and soon enough, she was making her way out the terminal to be greeted by a small awkward man she had yet to meet. "Waverly!" He exclaimed, waving her down to his car, promptly grabbing her luggage and tossing it haphazardly into the trunk before opening the passenger door and gesturing for her to get in. She hesitated for a second, wondering if it was safe to trust the friendly stranger. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she smiled looking down at a text from her idiot older sister. 

Wynonna🥁❤: Yo Bb girl, Jer bear is picking u up hes kind of weird youll like him. See ya in a bit. 

Waverly: Don’t be mean Wy, he seems nice.

Wynonna🥁❤: hes a dork just like u. Cours u like him.

Waverly: See you in a few, Nonna. Love you.

Waverly shoved the phone into the pocket of her leggings and climbed into the car, thinking the conversation was over when she felt another vibration. She pulled out the phone with a sigh wondering what else Wynonna could have to say that was so important, but instead of her sister's name on the screen, it was Nicole’s… Sort of 

Stupid Jerkface🎸🍦🍩: Hey Waves, hope you had a good flight. See ya in a few.👍

Waverly didn’t respond, but she did have a dopey smile on her face as she once again pushed her phone back into her pocket. Stupid Nicole, making her feel all warm and gooey for absolutely no reason again.

The clumsy kid slid into the driver's seat, starting on another bumbling rant. "I hope you don't mind me picking you up, Dolls and the rest of the gang were just running through a few details for the video shoot tomorrow, so they asked me to come grab you. They were just finishing up when I left, so I think they should be heading back soon. Um, I was also told to offer an invitation to dinner if you are interested." 

Before she could even agree, Waverly’s stomach growled at the thought of food, having not eaten since the small meal she had this morning. Her nerves had gotten the best of her and she hadn't been able to eat much more than a piece of avocado toast. She grimaced at the sound, hoping dinner would be their first stop. "That would be great, uh" She stopped just realizing she did not know the overly enthusiastic driver by anything other than Jer Bear which she was definitely not going to call him. "I just realized, I don't know your name."

"Oh uh Jeremy, Jeremy Chetri. I'm Dolls' assistant, but I also sometimes play the keyboard for the live shows too.” He said, seemingly excited that someone was even paying him any mind. “And obviously, you are the notorious Waverly Earp. You know Nicole hasn’t shut up about you since we left Calgary. Keeps saying something about some big plans for the next couple days.” He added as he drove off towards the hotel, unknowingly setting Waverly’s hopeful heart aflame all over again.

With the horrid California traffic the two arrived at their lodging on the beach about an hour after departing the airport. Jeremy took them down a secluded beach road, pulling into the driveway of a moderately sized beach house. “Jeremy, what are we doing here?” She questioned. “I thought we were staying in some semi-questionable hotel.”

“Oh, Dolls upgraded us! Something about the record presales doing really well. The vinyl, graphic novel package sold out in less than five minutes! Plus, the shoot is only like a ten minute walk from here.” He said excitedly, hopping out of the car and leading her to the house.

Waverly followed close behind, excitement tingling on her skin. Or maybe that was the excruciating warmth of the California sun, slowly seeping into her pores. Even the air felt different here, it was fresh, but also stagnant and clammy and she could have sworn she could taste the salt water on her tongue. “Cool.” It was the only word she got out, before Wynonna came bursting through the front door, nearly knocking them both over, scooping her up into a giant bear hug and littering sloppy kisses across her face. “Nonna, stop! I’m all nasty from the plane ride and really need a shower!” She grumbled and pushed her sister in a lazy attempt to rid herself of her grip.

“Sorry, Baby Girl, I just really missed you.” Wynonna said, releasing her with a laugh and turning to address Jeremy. “Thanks for getting her Jer Bear. Now go bother someone else.” Wynonna commanded, waving the small awkward man off as she turned back to her little sister. “It feels like a lifetime ago that I watched you send us off with a smile and wave. So much has happened.” She said, grabbing Waverly’s bags and leading her into the house.

Waverly laughed. “Wy, stop being dramatic, I’m sure things haven’t changed that much in the week since I last saw you weirdos.”

It was Wynonna’s turn to laugh now. “Just wait until you see Nicole. You’re going to lose your shit.” She smirked, showing Waverly her bedroom and throwing her luggage aggressively to the floor.

Waverly’s heart dropped in her stomach, her mind filled with worry and anger that Nicole had managed to get herself into some more trouble in the single week that they had been on tour. “Oh god, what did she do?” She asked, voice thick with concern.

Wynonna chuckled lightly at Waverly’s concern. “Oh, she’s fine don’t worry. Just did something real dumb, but also so undenialbly awesome while we were in Oregon. Just wait till you see her, if you thought she was a sexy beast before, you are going to lose your mind at the sight of her now.”

Waverly scrunched her face in feigned disgust. “I did not and definitely will not be losing my mind any time soon.”

Wynonna scoffed at her sister. “Waverly, Nicole is sexy as fuck, whether you admit it or not doesn’t make it any less true. Besides, I’m pretty sure everyone except Nicole already knows about your little childhood crush.”

Waverly gasped in offence. “I did not have a crush on her!” 

“Waverly, everyone has had a crush on that lovable idiot at at least one point in their life, it’s fine. Not that it matters, she’s too old for you and I think I’d rather die than see my beautiful baby sister date my idiot best friend.”

Dread flooded deep into Waverly's soul. She hadn’t even considered Wynonna being a factor in her completely imaginary relationship with Nicole. Not that she even wanted a relationship with the redhead, but she’d still have to tread lightly, lest she wake the full on terror her sister would turn into if she thought something was amiss. Wynonna had always been protective of her, but Waverly knew the Nicole situation was different. Wynonna knew all of Nicole’s deepest darkest secrets and if she didn’t want her dating the ginger, there was probably a good reason why. “I don’t have a crush on her Wy. Just let it go.” Waverly said with finality to her voice, not sure who she was trying to convince at that point.

Wynonna sighed. “Fine, Waves. Go take a shower, we have dinner reservations in an hour. Wear something nice, Dolls said it’s fancy, a celebration for the record dropping next week or something.”

***

“Waves, hurry the fuck up! We need to leave!” Wynonna shouted from the bottom of the stairs. 

Waverly groaned as her sister’s irritated voice penetrated her eardrums. She had not been given adequate time to get ready and was in a fritz to unpack, shower and get dressed. Zipping up her tight silver skirt with a huff, she looked herself over once more, smirking at her reflection before grabbing her purse and meeting Wynonna and the rest of the band in the oversized suv, manned by a suit clad Dolls. 

She, Wynonna, Rosita, Doc and Jeremy all made small talk in the back while Nicole and Dolls quietly discussed something she couldn’t make out in the front. She had yet to actually get a full glimpse at the redhead since her arrival and Wynonna’s comment of Nicole doing something outrageous but amazing in the few days they were on tour without her, left her vibrating with curious intrige. She skirted her eyes over the lanky ginger in the passenger seat, trying not to be as obvious with her lingering gaze as she felt. Nicole was wearing an open, navy blue blazer over a black dress shirt with matching blue fitted slacks and dark brown leather dress boots that tied the look together completely. The first three buttons of her shirt were left open revealing the brightly colored tattoos that littered her body and clashed with the delicate ivory skin of her chest. Nicole adjusted in her seat, the dark lace of a teal bra peaked through the open buttons and Waverly swallowed hard, unable to peel her eyes from the newly exposed expanse of skin.

The two had barely said more than a few words to one another since her arrival and Nicole had seemed a little more than distracted to say the least. The redhead cleared her throat, causing Waverly's eyes to shoot up from where they had been lingering. Waverly had just been caught looking at the forbidden fruit and she knew it. Fiery mocha clashed with the surprised hazel, burning a hole into the deepest corners of her heart. But then, Nicole god damned snorted at her embarrassment and shook her head in amusement. 

"Excited for dinner, Waves? You're looking mighty hungry right about now" Nicole said with an all too familiar smugness.

Quickly, Waverly averted her eyes back to the bright lights of the city around her. She was bright red and by the looks Wynonna and Rosita and Doc were giving her, she knew Nicole was not the only one that caught her staring. 

They arrived at the restaurant and were escorted into a private dining room, fancier than anything Waverly had ever seen. Thank god she decided to go with the nicer of the two dresses she purchased before the trip. Waverly was seated in between her sister and Jeremy and unfortunately directly across from Nicole. Wynonna was as annoying as ever, but Jeremy was sweet and made good company. What struck her completely off guard though, was how open and natural Nicole seemed with her ragtag band. It was so completely different than the Nicole she had spent the last month getting reacquainted with. She seemed to let her guard down in a way that Waverly hadn’t seen up until this point. She stared across the table, watching and listening to the redhead speak with enthusiasm about the upcoming release, tour and even the few mishaps they had with the vinyl press. Waverly was so utterly and completely enthralled she didn’t even realize that the check had already been paid and the gang was making plans to continue their night on the town. Dolls grumbled and protested, but with some schmoozing from Wynonna and Rosita and he begrudgingly agreed with the exception that they took it easy and didn’t stay out too late.

***

The night club was bursting at the seams when the group arrived around eleven from their late evening dinner. Nicole tossed her blazer in the backseat, opting for the coolness of just the button up long sleeve instead. She was dead tired after a long day of finalizing the last of the video shoot details for tomorrow and the dreaded fan “hang out” Dolls had made them do earlier that morning. It wasn’t that she disliked hanging with the fans, she actually loved meeting most of them. It was more that she never did have the mental capacity to talk to strangers for hours on end. Not to mention, the one extremely overbearing fan that seemed to show up at every meet and greet for the past couple years and even seemed to know her whereabouts even in their down time. She seemed harmless enough, just an overly enthusiastic fan, but it set Nicole on edge. No matter how much Dolls and everyone else told her not to worry, something about this woman didn’t sit right and made her skin crawl in all the wrong ways. 

At least having Waverly there now was providing some sort of distraction. The tight silver skirt with matching crop top accentuated her curves in all the right ways. It was safe to say, Waverly wasn’t the only one staring tonight, though Nicole seemed a lot less obvious about it. 

They were nowhere near famous enough to draw attention in the crowded club and were able to easily weave through to the bar to order their drinks while Dolls, Jeremy and Doc held their table. Waverly followed closely behind Wynonna and Rosita, trying not to get lost in the crowd while Nicole kept the group together from the back. Nicole was on high alert, so when she noticed a hulking man aggressively advancing in on them, she was quick to put herself between the stranger and her friends. “Back the fuck off dude, we ain’t interested.” She asserted with a firm hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks. His eyes lingered heavily on Waverly, dark and predatory, before they met the hardened brown eyes of Nicole. 

“Chill out Mom, I ain’t even interested in you, just that babe in the silver dress. Why don’t you let her tell me herself.” He snapped back, pushing his chest against her outstretched hand. Waverly turned from her place at the bar upon hearing the commotion to see Nicole palm to chest with the overly intoxicated guy, holding him at a distance.

She glanced back at Waverly, hoping and praying she was right in her not being interested. Her jaw clenched but she asked anyway. “You interested in this dickhead, Baby?” She wasn’t sure Waverly would much appreciate the term of endearment but she figured at the very least, it would help get the message through the guy’s thick skull.

Waverly’s small hand gripped the back of Nicole’s shirt, her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she wasn’t sure if it was because of the anxiety of the situation or hearing the word “Baby” pass so easily through Nicole’s perfect lips. Even if the man had been charming and kind, she was trapped in the orbit of one Nicole Haught and there was nothing she could do to break free. “Nope.” She said, gripping Nicole’s shirt just a little tighter with her words.

The man’s eyes narrowed as he pushed against the redhead’s hand once again, seemingly not getting the hint. Nicole’s hand formed a fist, her knuckles going white with the pressure of her grip. “Serioursly dude, back the fuck off or I’m going to knock you on your ass and you’re going to wish you stayed the fuck home tonight.” Nicole growled through gritted teeth. One more step and Nicole was sure she was going to fulfill that promise. 

Waverly watched as the next couple seconds unfolded in slow motion. She should have been scared, a giant aggressive man was starting shit with them, with Nicole, but with Nicole there threatening him like a dang guard dog, she’d never felt safer. 

One more step and Nicole drew her arm back, heavy with the anticipation of a swing that never came. “Haught, stop.” Dolls spoke his tone stern and steady. “Put your damn fist away right now or we are leaving. I don’t give a fuck if we just got here.”

Her hand fell to the side, with an exaggerated exhale and Waverly did the only thing she knew how. Her small delicate hand reached out to grasp the ridged fist Nicole had been holding so tightly too. As soon as their skin met, Nicole’s grip loosened and her body relaxed. Waverly gave Nicole’s fist a squeeze, prompting the redhead to subconsciously lace their fingers together without much more thought. It felt comforting, and as natural as breathing, she hadn't even realized she'd done it. “Sorry” she grumbled under her breath as she turned around and grabbed her old fashioned from Wynonna. Their eyes met for a second, understanding flashing between the old friends before Nicole turned on her heels, still gripping tightly to the soft hand of a little brunette. 

Waverly did not resist the hold and instead let Nicole lead her back to the outside patio while Wynonna and Rosita made for the dance floor and Dolls and the club security team handled the overly intoxicated trouble maker.

She finally released her grip on the younger woman when they made it outside, plopping down in the one empty seat on the patio. The music from inside was muffled and she felt like she could finally breathe again. She never intended for things to get so out of hand so quickly, but the only time her flight response had ever kicked in was in the presence of her fathers furry. She knew rage as a familiar friend, comforting but poisonous, polluting her very soul with all the things she was scared most of becoming. “Sorry Waves, I wasn’t trying to start shit.” she sulked, taking a huge gulp of her whiskey.

Waverly carefully sat down on the arm of Nicole’s chair. She knew Nicole still had her issues to work out, but in that moment she did not see someone full of rage and fury, instead, she saw someone bursting at the seams with compassion and an unyielding desire to protect the people she cared for most in this world. “I know Nic, that guy was being a shit… Thank you for taking care of me.” She said just loud enough for Nicole to pick it up over the muffled music and the constant ringing in her ears.

“Don’t mention it Waves.” She said with a tinge of sadness. It wasn’t going to hurt nothing to take a second to compose herself completely. She finished the last of her drink with a heavy sigh, setting her empty glass on her thigh and gliding her middle finger gently around the rim over and over.

Waverly watched her in silence for a moment, the motion of her finger becoming increasingly more enticing by the second. She had to do something, anything to keep her mind from drifting to the depths of the unknown, so she set her hand gently on Nicole’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. She stood holding an outstretched arm to the older woman. “Come on Nic,” She said with a soft smile, “let's go dancing.”

Nicole looked up into intricate hazel eyes, asking the simplest of requests of her. And really, what other choice did she have but to agree. So she once again grasped Waverly’s nimble hand in her own and let her lead her away to a fate she wasn’t quite sure of.

***

Nicole awoke the next morning to an obnoxious ruckus from the kitchen. Her back ached from her awkward position of sleeping on the couch and her head pounded with from the one too many drinks she had at the club. The night came back to her in flashes, bits and pieces slowly bleeding into the fog of her brain. She and the gang drank and danced until the bar shut down, Waverly close by her side the entire time. It was the first time since her childhood that she finally felt the younger woman let her guard down and let her have a real peak at the woman she’d become. She was strong and confident and beautiful in ways Nicole had never imagined she’d seen in her. 

She smiled at herself despite the thumping in her skull and stretched her long limbs, inciting a muscle wrenching cramp in her calf. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” she cried rolling off the couch with a thud and grasping at her leg in a vain attempt at some relief to the knotting in her leg. She heard a high giggle from the kitchen, just as the pain started to subside. Peeking her head around the side of the couch, she saw one messy haired Waverly snickering at her from the kitchen island. 

"You think that's funny, do you? I almost just had to amputate my entire leg and here you are laughing at my pain." She asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Waverly was visibly trying to hold in her giggles, but doing a very poor job. "Oh don't be so dramatic you big baby. You're fine. Maybe if you didn’t drink like 10 old fashion's, you wouldn't be having horrible leg cramps first thing in the morning."

Nicole could do nothing but nod her head in agreement. "Touche, Waves, touche. Didn’t you have like a shit ton of tequila shots though? Where the fuck is your hangover?"

Waverly gave her a smug smirk. “Psh, I’m an Earp, Nic. We don’t know the meaning of the word.”

Nicole huffed out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Wy with one.” She said as she pulled herself up from the floor. She felt probably as gross as she looked so she excused herself to the privacy of the bathroom to freshen up. Her back was loosening up from the short walk, but her neck still protested at every small turn. Maybe she could convince Dolls or Doc to take turns on the couch with her over the next couple days. She wasn’t quite sure how much more of this she could take. Her face washed and her teeth brushed, she pulled her disheveled red hair up into a messy bun before heading back to the kitchen with Waverly.

The younger woman was sitting at the island scrolling through her phone and sipping a cup of coffee when Nicole waltzed back in, like she owned the place. Waverly was slightly taken aback by the ginger’s relaxed appearance. It was so different from the put together suit that she wore last night, but it took her breath away just the same. Head still pounding, Nicole poured herself a heaping cup of black coffee and took a seat across from the brunette. They were silent for more than a moment, just enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning before the rest of their ragtag bunch woke up. 

It wasn’t even until Nicole raised her cup to her mouth that Waverly noticed it. It hadn’t been visible under the long sleeves of Nicole’s dress shirt last night and by the time she had rolled them up, Waverly was a little too tipsy to even notice under the dim club lighting. The backside of Nicole’s once bare left forearm, now sported a huge American traditional baseball bat and rose tattoo with the words “In a pain that buckles out your knees, could you stop this if I plead?” surrounding it. Waverly stared long and hard, trying to find the right words. It was a bit masochistic, wasn’t it? Having a constant reminder of something it seemed she wanted to forget. Wavelry searched her mind for answers and when she finally decided there were none she could answer herself, she bit the bullet and finally asked the conundrum of a woman in front of her.

“You got a tattoo?” Waverly asked softly, trying to ease into the conversation. They were not very good at difficult conversations yet. Hell, they were barely okay with normal conversations really.

Nicole did not seem bothered by the observation though. Why get something permanent if not to show it off? Raising her arm towards Waverly, she asked, “You like?” with that same old shit eating grin she almost constantly sported in her presence. And with one look into the shining brown eyes, Waverly knew it was not masochistic at all. It was sad, but defiant at the same time, like a slap to the face of her oppressor and it felt like healing and growth.

Waverly scoffed, trying to hide some of her embarrassment. She did like it, you see. Actually all of Nicole’s tattoos really did something for her, but this one in particular was like a punch to the heart. “I do.” She affirmed with a nod of her head. They were getting better at this. The casual conversations and the ability to keep things light in the shadow of darkness.

“Cool.” Nicole responded with a grin, taking another big drink of her coffee. She was really hoping Waverly would like it and wouldn’t freak out like Wynonna had told her she would. 

“Cool.” Waverly responded with a smile of her own before the duo settled back into another comfortable silence.

When Nicole finished off the delicious goodness in her cup, she spun in her seat, hopping off to make herself another. 

It was then that Waverly saw it. And holy shit how did she not notice the close shave and intricate lines of Nicole's brand spanking new undercut last night.

"Shut your mouth, Baby Girl." Wynonna laughed as she made her way into the kitchen. 

Waverly's cheeks flushed and she snapped her mouth closed in a fluster. Wide eyed, she gave her sister a questioning look. 

Wynonna walked up beside her and ruffled her already messy head of hair. "I told you you would like it, Kid." She whispered, shooting her sister a wink as she sat down beside her, almost missing her seat and falling to the floor in the process.

Waverly looked at her through confused, almost panicked eyes. "You were talking about the haircut? I thought you were talking about that gigantic tattoo on her fucking forearm you asshole!"

"Oh yeah that too, I guess." Wynonna said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Nicole placed a piping hot cup of coffee in front of her best friend with an easy smile. "So as much as I'm enjoying whatever is going on here, I got to go shower and start preparing for the shoot. I need to be down by the beach in about an hour. I'll see you guys in a bit, yeah?" She asked directed mostly to the younger woman.

Waverly nodded her head with a soft "mmm" and off Nicole and her tattoos and her fresh undercut went, leaving Waverly in a puddle of lust and confusion. 

"And you said you didn't have a crush." Wynonna huffed next to her.

Waverly gave her sister a tired look before speaking slow and steady. "Wynonna?"

"Yes?"

"Please just shut up."   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ideas, suggestions, just want to figure out what's going on in this empty skull of mine? Follow me on the twitter @actuallysoftaf


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